This article explores a wide array of healthy foods that begin with the letter "H," showcasing their nutritional benefits, culinary uses, and cultural significance. From fruits and vegetables to seafood, grains, and condiments, this guide offers a diverse selection of "H" foods to enhance your diet and culinary experiences.
Fruits
Hachiya Persimmons
These orange tomato-like fruits boast a rich, sweet flavor and a smooth, custard-like texture when fully ripe.
Hackberry
These small, dark red berries from North America are known for their sweet taste and crispy shell, offering a candy-like experience with a dry pulp and edible seed. Hackberry fruit has been consumed by humans for millennia.
Hairless Rambutan
Originating from Indonesia and Malaysia, this tropical fruit shares a similar sweet flavor with lychee.
Hall Crabapples
Hall crabapples are flowering trees that produce miniature apples.
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Hami Melons
These ancient muskmelons come from Hami, Xinjiang, China.
Hardy Kiwi
Resembling berries or grapes in size, hardy kiwis are smooth and often sweeter than regular kiwifruit.
Haruka
This Japanese citrus fruit, also grown in Korea, is rich in vitamins A and C and offers a mild, sweet taste.
Hawaiian Mountain Apple
Also known as Malay apple, rose apple, plumrose, pomerac, or ohi’a ’ai in Hawaiian, this beautiful fruit tree grown in Hawaii bears bell-shaped apples with shiny red skin.
Hawthorn Berries
These tiny red berries, also called haws, have a slightly sour taste and are often used in jellies and jams.
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Hazelnuts
These round nut fruits from the hazel tree are an excellent source of protein, dietary fiber, healthy fats, vitamin E, and minerals. Hazelnuts are popularly used for flavoring coffee syrups and have a little sweet taste in them. Hazelnuts are said to be richer in vitamins than almonds and can improve heart health and memory.
Highbush Blueberry
Also known as blue huckleberry, tall huckleberry, swamp huckleberry, high blueberry, and swamp blueberry, this fruit is native to the eastern coastal regions of North America. Highbush blueberries are the most popular type of blueberries and can be found at local grocery stores.
Himalayan Bird Cherry
This medium-sized tree produces red, round cherries with an acidic flavor. The tree is botanically classified as Prunus cornuta.
Himalayan Mulberries
These purple or reddish-purple fruits are fleshy and sweet when ripe, forming a long cluster of small drupes.
Hog Plum
The plum-like fruits of the hog plum are very sour and taste best in juice, jellies, and sherbets. This species of tree and flowering plant from the Anacardiaceae family has a sweet and tart flavor.
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Hokkaido Bird Cherry
This tree bears ovoid drupe fruits that are dark red or black when matured and is mostly grown in Japan and on Sakhalin.
Hollyleaf Cherry
The fruit of the hollyleaf cherry has a sweet taste but little flesh surrounding the seed.
Honeycrisp Apple
This variety of apple, developed by the University of Minnesota, is known for its exceptional sweetness, crisp texture, and vibrant appearance. It has a bright red color with a yellow-green skin and has a sweet taste and smell. It took several years of careful planning to develop Honeycrisp apples.
Honey Locust
The fruit of the honey locust is a flat bean pod with edible pulp.
Honeyberry
Also called haskap berry, these oblong blue berries have a taste profile similar to kiwi, cherry, or grapes.
Honeydew Melon
This sweet fruit has light green flesh. It is primarily cultivated in France. This soft green melon with a white skin has a sweet taste similar to cantaloupe. Their taste is more like cucumbers and is very refreshing. The name of the species is Cucumis melo L.
Horned Melon
Also called African horned cucumber, spiked melon, jelly melon, kiwano, or cuke-a-saurus, this fruit was featured on Avengers and on Star Trek as an alien fruit. It has bright orange/yellow skin, with spiky horns coming off of it.
Hortulan Plum
Also known as wild goose plum, this wild species has shiny red or yellow plums that taste sweet.
Hottentot Fig
Named sour fig for its edible fruit, the hottentot fig has several culinary uses and medicinal properties.
Huckleberries
These delicious fruits resemble large, dark blueberries but are a little less sweet and a little larger in size. Huckleberries are primarily wild-harvested due to their specific habitats.
Huito
Also known as jagua, this exotic fruit can be used to make ice cream, jelly, jam, sherbet, syrups, and drinks.
Hydnora Africana
This parasitic plant produces an underground berry fruit with seeds surrounded by an edible fleshy pulp.
Hyuganatsu
This Japanese citrus fruit has a fragrant sweet-tart flavor and light texture.
Vegetables
Hamburg Parsley
Also known as root parsley, Hamburg parsley has a white and firm root, similar to elongated carrots. The flavor is a mix between celery root, carrots, and parsnips.
Haricot Verts
These are slender French green beans.
Hass Avocado
One of the world’s most popular and delicious varieties, Hass avocado has dark green, bumpy skin and rich, creamy flesh. This dark green, bumpy-skinned fruit has creamy green flesh and is often used in savory dishes.
Heart of Palm
This white vegetable comes from the inner core of a palm tree. It has a mild, artichoke-like flavor and a dense texture. In Latin American cuisines, hearts of palm are a staple ingredient in dishes such as salads, rice dishes, and ceviche.
Hearts of Romaine Lettuce
These crispy and slightly sweet inner leaves of the romaine lettuce plant are sought after for their refreshing flavor, being used in things like Caesar salad.
Hedgehog Mushrooms
These good edible fungi species have a nutty and sweet flavor. They go by the scientific name Hydnum repandum.
Hijiki Seaweed
This brown edible sea vegetable grows along the coasts of East Asia and is commonly used in Japanese cuisine. Hijiki seaweed, AKA hiziki, is a type of edible seaweed that is commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It comes from the coasts of Japan, and has a dark brown color with a distinctive taste.
Himbabao
Also known as birch flower, himbabao is a tree, some parts of which are utilized as a vegetable.
Hispi Cabbage
Also known as pointed cabbage or sweetheart cabbage.
Hokkaido Pumpkin
Also known as red kuri squash, Hokkaido pumpkin is an orange-colored winter squash with thin skin and soft flesh. It can add a sweet, chestnut-like taste to soups, stews, cakes, cookies, and pies. The scientific name of Hokkaido pumpkin is Cucurbita maxima Duchesne ssp. maxima convar.
Holland Child
Also known as Dutch chile, this is a variety of chili pepper originally developed from the Cayenne.
Honeynut Squash
This squash looks like a tiny butternut squash but with a sweeter and nuttier flavor.
Hop Shoots
These are the part of the hop plant that counts as a vegetable. They’re not harvested commercially, but it’s possible to hand-pick them from hop farms in the spring or grow them yourself. These asparagus-like shoots come from the hop plant and are featured in some European cuisine.
Horse Gram
Also known as kulthi bean, gahat, hurali, or Madras gram, horse gram is a protein-rich legume often grown for horse feed.
Horse Mushroom
This common, good edible species of fungi is harvested from summer to the end of autumn. It has a creamy white cap and a rich, strong taste.
Horseradish
This white root vegetable has a hot, bitter flavor when cut or grated, making it a great spice or condiment. Known for its distinctive sharp taste, horseradish is commonly grated or ground before being used in various culinary preparations. This pungent root vegetable is known for its spicy flavor that makes your eyes water.
Hubbard Squash
This large winter squash has tough, bumpy skin that comes in different colors and can be used in a variety of recipes. This winter squash has a hard exterior and a sweet, nutty flavor.
Hungarian Yellow Wax Pepper
These creamy yellow, elongated peppers have a sweet and hot flavor. They are great for many recipes and grow well in cool climates.
Husk Tomatoes
Also known as ground cherries, husk tomatoes are tomatoes wrapped in a light brown, papery husk. They have a sweet taste with pineapple and vanilla undertones.
Hyacinth Beans
The immature shoots and blossoms of hyacinth beans are edible, although vines are mostly grown for ornamental purposes. Also known as lablab beans, these beans are a common ingredient in Indian cuisine and have a mild flavor with a slightly sweet aftertaste.
Hydroponic Lettuce
This type of lettuce is grown without soil and is often used in hydroponic systems.
Proteins
Haddock
Haddock is a fish with lean white flesh, providing a great source of protein. This delicious fish has flaky white flesh that gives off a mildly sweet and delicate flavor. It’s great for grilling, baking, frying, or adding it to your soups! This is a coldwater, white fish that is related to cod. This delicious fish is high in protein and is considered a low-mercury fish, which gives it a great amount of universal appeal. It’s also low in calories, but it isn’t as high in healthy fats like some other fattier fish. The haddock is a fish and a common choice for the classic British dish of fish and chips but is also popular as a creamy chowder. It is considered the cousins to cod, having similar physical features.
Hake
Hake is a type of fish popular throughout Europe and is sold frozen, fresh, smoked, or salted. Another delicious fish, hake is very similar to haddock in many ways.