FORM AND CONSISTENCY OF VEGETABLES

We are very sensitive to the texture of the foods we eat, a dish without contrasts bores us after a few bites …
Vegetable dishes are not only aesthetically beautiful, they can also amaze us with a variety of sensations that involve all our senses.

The sight is immediately stimulated by the colors, the shapes, the volumes, the brightness of the dishes, then follow the sense of smell, touch and hearing stimulated by the richness of textures and textures, and finally the taste.

The alternation of shapes, textures and textures is influenced by the choice to use for our recipe …

… the right variety of vegetables that represents in the plate every part of the plant (seed, root, stem, flower, leaf, fruit …) ……

… the consistency of new vegetables, depending on the variety, can be more tender or more crispy …

… raw and / or cooked vegetables …

… a different type of cut for each vegetable (slices, stick, cubes, julienne, chiffonade …) ….

…the direction of cutting vegetables (according to fiber, or against fiber)…

…. vegetables that play different roles:

• • solid and crunchy part that with a prolonged chew makes one flavor stand out compared to another
  • liquid or creamy part which increases salivation and amplifies every sensation

A vegetable dish is really complete if enriched with all types of vegetables. Already in 1600 Salvatore Massonio in his book “l’Archidipno” defines the salad “… well often mix the roots with the fronds, with the flowers, and with the fruits, and these with the buds, and all these han name of real salads “.

The shape, the color, the appearance of vegetables are information that can provide us with useful information to choose the right variety of vegetables; but it is also important to know their classifications on the basis of botanical, chemical and product characteristics.

I will list the simplest ones:

A first refers to the part of the plant that we consume and makes us immediately imagine which variety they belong to:

BULB	The edible part is the “bulb”, a kind of underground stem composed of cloves or fleshy leaves. They have a sweet / spicy taste, they are used minced or subtly cut: garlic ◇ onion ◇ leek ◇ shallot
FLOWER	n this group we find the ◇ flower of pumpkin ◇ but also ◇ artichoke ◇ cauliflower ◇ broccoli ◇ turnip tops ◇ vegetables of which we always eat the inflorescences, sometimes the leaves, neglecting almost totally the stems that are excellent.
LEAF	Of these vegetables the leaves that contain vital chlorophyll pigments are consumed and are the best source of alkaline minerals. Many herbs are green leaves.Some are crunchy other tender and delicate: lettuce ◇ radicchio (green and red) ◇ rocket ◇ valerian ◇ borage ◇ spinach ◇ cabbage ◇ cabbage ◇ chard ◇ chicory ◇ dandelion etc.
FRUIT	Fruits are raw plant foods that contain the seed itself for the reproduction of their species. Fruits can be sweet, not sweet or fat: avocado ◇ tomatoes ◇ zucchini ◇ eggplant ◇ cucumbers ◇ pumpkins ◇ peppers ◇ okra
STEM	The stem is the first part that comes out of the seed of the plant, when it is still under the ground. Of these vegetables we consume the herbaceous stem: celery ◇ fennel
GEM	Of these very different vegetables, the buds not yet ripened are used: asparagus ◇ Brussels sprouts ◇ capers
SPROUT	Sprouts are young plants that propagate from their mother plants. They are divided into two categories: sprouts of seeds and oily fruits and pulses with a prevalence of proteins green sprouts of cereals and herbs.
ROOT	Of these vegetables we consume the “taps”, roots of various sizes rich in water and some aromatic substances: beetroot ◇ carrot ◇ turnip ◇ black salsify ◇ celeriac ◇ radish
SEED	Of these vegetables we consume the seeds contained in the pods or the whole pod: all legumes ◇ green beans
TUBER	The “tuber” is present only in some plants, it is not a “root”, it is a modified portion of stem that is able to give rise to other plants, it is distinguished from the normal roots because it is a root l ateral , never central: They are vegetables rich in starch: potato ◇ Jerusalem artichoke ◇ cassava ◇ sweet potato

This classification divides vegetables into families, so we can control the right intake of nutritive properties and the right rotation in the most useful variety if you suffer from food sensitivity:

GIGLIACEE OR LILIACEE	garlic ◇ asparagus ◇ onion ◇ leek Action: they stimulate the Central Nervous System, protect the arteries, act positively on the respiratory and renal apparatus.
CRUCIFEROUS	cabbage savoy ◇ cabbage ◇ cauliflower ◇ turnip ◇ radish ◇ horseradish ◇ rocket Action: activate metabolic processes of construction (childhood, adolescence) and tissue healing.
COMPOSITE	artichoke ◇ cardo ◇ chicory ◇ lettuce ◇ salsify ◇ dandelion Action: invigorate respiratory and cardiac function, cleansing and drainage of blood vessels, digestive system, liver and biliary tract.
CHENOPIADACEE AND CUCURBITACEE	beetroot ◇ spinach ◇ ribs ◇ pumpkin ◇ zucchini ◇ cucumber Action: invigorate respiratory and cardiac function, cleansing and drainage of blood vessels, digestive system, liver and biliary tract.
UMBELLIFERAE	carrot ◇ fennel ◇ parsley ◇ celery Action: stimulate the natural excretory organs (liver, kidneys, respiratory tract and intestine); they fight intestinal fermentations and putrefactions.
SOLANACEAE	potatoes ◇ tomatoes ◇ peppers ◇ aubergines Action: improve the visual ability, strengthen the immune system, promote iron metabolism, stimulate the circulation, but attention consume them with awareness, they also contain solanine an alkaloid that at doses elevated is very toxic.