The letter "V" might not be the most common starting letter for foods, but it opens the door to a surprising variety of both healthy and indulgent options from around the world. From vibrant fruits and vegetables to savory dishes and sweet treats, let's embark on a culinary journey to discover the diverse world of "V" foods.
Vegetables: A "V" Bounty of Goodness
The letter V unveils a world of vegetables, each packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
Valerian Salad
Also known as corn salad or lamb's lettuce, Valerian salad is a leafy green known for its rosette of elliptical, green leaves, each with a single central vein. Blooming between April and May, it produces flowers in shades of blue and white.
Vegetable Soup
A timeless and globally loved dish, vegetable soup features a medley of vegetables and leafy greens. It's a versatile and nutritious option that can be easily customized with your favorite vegetables.
Veggie Burgers
A healthy and delicious alternative to traditional burgers, veggie burgers often incorporate vegetables, whole grains, and legumes like beans or lentils. These ingredients provide fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals.
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Vidalia Onions
Named after Vidalia, Georgia, these onions are known for their mild, sweet flavor and pale yellow to light brown skin. Their subtle flavor makes them perfect for adding raw to salads, salsas, burgers, and sandwiches.
Vine Spinach
Despite its name, vine spinach is not related to traditional spinach but offers a similar taste and texture.
Violet Cauliflower
Also known as purple cauliflower, this variety offers the same mild, slightly sweet, and delicate flavor as white cauliflower, but with a visually striking purple hue.
Vibrant Fruits: A "V" Selection of Sweetness
While not as abundant as vegetables, the letter "V" still offers a selection of delicious and nutritious fruits.
Valencia Oranges
A popular citrus fruit named after Valencia, Spain, Valencia oranges are available during the summer season. They are prized for their juiciness and balanced sweet-citrusy tart flavor, making them perfect for juice.
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Valencia Pride Mango
This mango variety stands out for its enormous size, vibrant hue, and delicious flavor, making it a great addition to fruit salads, smoothies, and desserts.
Van Dyke Mango
Native to South Florida, the Van Dyke mango is a popular commercial cultivar with hints of peach, apricot, and melon in its taste.
Velvet Apple
Scientifically known as Diospyros blancoi, the velvet apple is a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia. It has green or yellow skin and a red, pink, or purple interior.
Velvet Tamarind
Scientifically known as Dialium guineense, the velvet tamarind is a tropical fruit with small, grape-sized fruits and hard, inedible brown shells. The fruit’s flesh is loved for its uniquely refreshing sour taste, attributed to tartaric acid, which also acts as an antioxidant.
Verna Lemon
The lemon variety Citrus limon ‘Verna’ is prized for its aromatic and juicy fruit. Verna lemons are round, bright yellow, and medium in size, with thin skins. The juice is useful in the kitchen because of its nice tartness and mild sweetness.
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Victoria Plum
Inspired by Queen Victoria, this 19th-century English plum cultivar is known for its medium spherical shape, sweet yellow flesh, and vibrant reddish-purple skin.
Voavanga
The fruits of the Voavanga tree are small and round, like cherries or plums. The sweet and somewhat sour voavanga fruit has a tender, flavorful flesh.
Savory Dishes: A "V" Voyage Around the World
The letter "V" takes us on a culinary journey around the world with a diverse range of savory dishes.
Vada/Vadai
Originating from India, Vada refers to a variety of savory fried snacks that can be likened to fritters, cutlets, or dumplings. They can be filled with vegetables and are traditionally served with chutneys and sambar.
Vada Pav
A popular street food from Mumbai, Maharashtra, Vada Pav is like a burger made with a bun called Pav and a deep-fried potato dumpling filling seasoned with garlic, turmeric, mustard seeds, and chopped chilies.
Valençay Wine
Produced in France, Valençay wine comes in two types - white and red. Valençay white is known for its refreshing qualities, with citrus fruits and spring flowers contributing to its aroma. It pairs well with fish and goat’s cheese. Valençay red, on the other hand, presents a blend of expressive aromas from Gamay and Pinot Noir harmonizing with the structure of Côt and Cabernet.
Vegetable Biryani
Vegetable biryani is an easy-to-make dish that is nutritious.
Vegetable Curry
A dish that consists of vegetables cooked in an Indian-style spicy sauce.
Vegetable Jalfrezi
A popular Indian dish served in restaurant style, Vegetable Jalfrezi combines a medley of mixed vegetables, spices, and herbs, resulting in a delightful stir-fried dish.
Vegetable Lasagna
A heartwarming dish made with big, thick pasta noodles, robust marinara sauce, a variety of vegetables, and generous amounts of cheese.
Vegetable Oil
A type of cooking oil made from plant-based sources, such as corn or soybean.
Vegetable Pie
A savory dish that consists of a filling made from cooked vegetables or other ingredients, such as cheese or meat.
Vegetarian Kebabs
Tasty skewers made from seasoned vegetables like bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini.
Veal
Veal refers to the meat derived from a young bovine animal, commonly known as a calf. Veal calves are typically reared until they are around 16 to 18 weeks old and weigh up to 450 pounds.
Veal Orloff
A classic dish of French cuisine, Veal Orloff features a braised veal loin that is thinly sliced and filled with a thin layer of finely chopped mushrooms, known as duxelles, and onions, referred to as soubise.
Veal Parmigiana
Veal Parmigiana involves breading a veal cutlet in dried breadcrumbs, frying it until crispy, topping it with marinara sauce and cheese, and finishing it in the oven.
Veal Piccata
In Italian cuisine, ‘piccata’ refers to the preparation method of the meat, typically involving slicing, flour-dredging, sautéing, and serving in a sauce.
Veal Stroganoff
A hearty meal made with a sour cream gravy, often containing mushrooms and served with egg pasta or even mashed potato.
Vegemite
A thick, dark brown Australian food spread, made from leftover brewers’ yeast extract along with a variety of vegetable and spice additives.
Vegeta
A popular seasoning used in many Eastern European and Croatian cuisines, made with dried vegetables, salt, sugar, spices, monosodium glutamate (MSG), potassium chloride, and disodium 5’ribonucleotide.
Venison
Venison refers to red deer, elk (wapiti), fallow deer, and reindeer (caribou) meat. This type of meat is darker and leaner than beef or pig.
Venison Jerky
A delicacy created by air-drying and salting venison, which is then aged for two or three months until it hardens and turns a dark red, almost purple color.
Venison Sausages
Unique culinary offerings made from prime venison mince, with a small proportion of rusk added as part of the seasoning mix.
Venison Stew
A hearty dish consisting of small chunks of venison roast and root vegetables like onions, carrots, and potatoes, slow-cooked in a sauce of red wine and broth.
Vermicelli
Translating to “little worms” in English, vermicelli is a long, thin pasta made with durum wheat flour.
Vermicelli Pudding
A creamy dessert made with finely roasted vermicelli simmered in sweet milk and flavored with cardamom powder.
Vichy Carrots
A delightful dish where the veggies are simmered in water with a touch of sugar, resulting in a glossy glaze.
Vichyssoise
A luxurious soup composed of leeks, potatoes, onions, and cream that is traditionally served chilled.
Vienna Sausage
A thin parboiled sausage from Vienna, Austria, made from a beef and pork meat blend cased in a sheep intestine.
Vindaloo
An Indian dish that originated in the region of Goa, Vindaloo is spicy and tangy, made with meat or vegetables marinated in vinegar, garlic, ginger, and spices.
Vinha d’alhos
A classic Portuguese sauce that is made with red wine vinegar, garlic, and salt.
Vietnamese Pho Soup
A popular noodle soup dish that is made with flat rice noodles, beef or chicken broth, and fresh herbs and vegetables.
Vol-au-Vent
A small hollow case of puff pastry stuffed with chicken or fish in creamy and savory fillings.
Vori Vori
A savory soup made with chicken, vegetables, and spices that is popular in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago.
Sweet Treats: A "V" Variety of Indulgence
The letter "V" also brings a selection of sweet treats to the table.
Valencia Cake
Originating from Valencia, Spain, the Valencia cake is a dense and rich dessert often featured in Spanish weddings and birthdays. It is characterized by its unique ingredients, which include ground almonds, eggs, sugar, butter, and citrus flavoring.