Introduction
There is a variety of products that can be used in cooking to create delicious and exciting dishes. Not all plants are presented in a meal in their natural appearance; instead, plants are used to create products. This paper will discuss which plant products are added during the cooking process and provide a description of the plants.
Main body
The first product in the recipe is olive oil, whose scientific name is Olea europaea, family Oleaceae. Olives are grown in California, Arizona, and other states (“The basics”, 2019). Olive oil is made from the flesh of olives: when the olives are crushed, the result is oil, pomace, and water. Trees are harvested in the Mediterranean climate and once ripe, people collect them for usage.
Carrot is the second plant in the recipe, which is called Daucus carota. Carrot is produced for commercial purposes in California, Georgia, and Michigan (“Carrots,” 2019). The below-ground taproot (Levetin & McMahon, 2016) of a carrot is used for cooking. The plant is seeded in well-drained soil, in the next few months it matures, and after this, it can be retrieved with the upper part of the plant.
Acorn squash that is the third in the recipe is named Cucurbita pepo. It is grown in almost every state of the USA, including California and New York (“Squash,” 2019). The yellow-orange flesh inside is used in cooking, and it can be baked or steamed. The plant is seeded after a frost passes and is harvested by hand. Once ripe, acorn squash can be consumed immediately.
Celery, or Apium graveolens, that is used in the recipe is produced in California, Michigan, and Florida. The leaf stalk is consumed in some countries; in others, the stem is used in cooking; the leaves are usually not eaten due to its flavor (“Celery,” 2018). Celery is raised from seeds that are firstly planted in the open space; then seeds are moved to trenches. After maturity, the plant fields are harvested once.
The fifth plant ingredient is a white onion that is scientifically called Allium cepa. White onion is grown for business purposes in Washington, Idaho, and Texas (“How & where onions are grown,” 2017). The chopped mild white flesh is used in the recipe. White onion is seeded in well-drained soil and harvested twice a year depending on the onion traits. A plant can be stored in a cool place for future usage.
Bulgur, or bourghoul, is added to the recipe as an ingredient. Bulgur is produced in Florida, Arizona, and California (Boyacioglu, 2017). The whole grain does not need cooking; however, it can be prepared by soaking in water. To get bulgur, durum wheat grain is saturated with moisture, and then treated with steam and dried. The resulting product that is bulgur is dried, collapsed, crushed, and divided into fractions.
Red cherries, which scientific name is Prunus, are the seventh part of the recipe. Red cherry is planted commercially in Washington, California, and Oregon (“Cherries,” 2019). The red flush of cherries without pip is used in the recipe. Cherry trees need a cold-weather environment, and it requires at least three years to produce a crop. Harvesting is usually done by hand to avoid damage to cherries and trees.
Parsley, the eighth plant product in the recipe, is called Petroselinum crispum initially. It grows in California, New Jersey, and Florida (“Parsley,” 2016). Parsley leaves are used in the recipe because of their intense flavor. Parsley is seeded in moist soil with lots of sunshine and harvested several times by cutting one-third or one-fourth of the plant in three to four weeks.
Ground black pepper, or Piper nigrum, is not commercially produced in the USA. It is imported from Vietnam, Indonesia, and India (Sawe, 2019). The fruit of the black pepper, peppercorn, is used as a spice in the recipe. Black pepper is grown from the immature drupe of the pepper plant. These drupes are boiled in hot water to prepare them for drying. Once they become dry, the pepper turns into a peppercorn.
Hazelnuts are the tenth plant ingredient in the recipe; it is scientifically called Corylus avellana. The commercial production of hazelnuts is located in Oregon (Paul, 2016). The nuts derived from the hazel tree are used in cooking. When seeded, a hazel tree needs 7 to 8 months to get the nuts ripe. Then, the nuts fall out of the trees, and cultivators collect them using hands or mechanical devices.
Orange, which scientific name is Citrus × Sinensis, is the eleventh plant element of the recipe. It is grown commercially in California, Arizona, Florida, and Texas (“Citrus fruits 2018 summary,” 2018). The juicy orange flush is used in the recipe. Orange trees are planted by seeds or by grafting mature orange onto a rootstock to get fruits. Harvesting of fruits is conducted once with the help of mechanical shaker machines.
The final ingredient is brown sugar that is produced from sugarcane or Saccharum officinarum. Brown sugar is commercially produced in Florida, Louisiana, and Hawaii (Shahbandeh, 2019) and used directly in the recipes. Brown sugar is created by adding molasses that are refined sugarcane to refined white sugar. The result is brown sugar that can be added to desserts, baked goods, or other dishes.
Conclusion
To draw the conclusion, one can say that the diversity of plants allows people to cook dishes and get tasty meals. Plant products that are made from different parts of plants are used in recipes to prepare food. It is also essential to know where the plants are grown, how they are harvested to understand the origin of plant products and to use them accordingly.
References
Boyacioglu, H. (2017). Global durum wheat use trending upward. Web.
Carrots. (2019). Web.
Celery. (2019). Web.
Cherries. (2019). Web.
Citrus fruits 2018 summary. (2018). Web.
How & where onions are grown. (2017). Web.
Levetin, E., & McMahon, Karen. (2016). Plant & society, 7th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Parsley. (2016). Web.
Paul, A. (2016). Hazelnut production booming in mid-valley. Web.
Sawe, B. (2019). The world’s top black pepper producing countries. Web.
Shahbandeh, M. (2019). U.S. sugar cane production by state 2010-2018. Web.
Squash. (2019). Web.
The basics. (2019). Web.