The black-eyed pea or black-eyed bean is a legume grown around the world for its medium-sized, edible bean. It is a subspecies of the cowpea, an Old World plant domesticated in Africa, and is sometimes simply called a cowpea. The common commercial variety is called the California Blackeye; it is pale-colored with a prominent black spot. The American South has countless varieties, many of them heirloom, that vary in size from the small lady peas […]

soybean, (Glycine max), also called soja bean or soya bean, annual legume of the pea family (Fabaceae) and its edible seed. The soybean is economically the most important bean in the world, providing vegetable protein for millions of people and ingredients for hundreds of chemical products. Domestication and history The origins of the soybean plant are obscure, but many botanists believe it was first domesticated in central China as early as […]

banana, fruit of the genus Musa, of the family Musaceae, one of the most important fruit crops of the world. The banana is grown in the tropics, and, though it is most widely consumed in those regions, it is valued worldwide for its flavour, nutritional value, and availability throughout the year. Cavendish, or dessert, bananas are most commonly eaten fresh, though they may […]

coffee, beverage brewed from the roasted and ground seeds of the tropical evergreen coffee plants of African origin. Coffee is one of the three most popular beverages in the world (alongside water and tea) and one of the most profitable international commodities. Though coffee is the basis for an endless array of beverages, its popularity is mainly attributed to its […]

avocado, (Persea americana), also called alligator pear, tree of the family Lauraceae and its edible fruit. Avocados are native to the Western Hemisphere from Mexico south to the Andean regions and are widely grown in warm climates. Avocado fruits have greenish or yellowish flesh with a buttery consistency and a rich nutty flavour. They are often eaten in salads, and in many parts of […]

cocoa, highly concentrated powder made from chocolate liquor—a paste prepared from cocoa beans, the fruit of the cacao—and used in beverages and as a flavouring ingredient. Cocoa is the key ingredient in chocolate and chocolate confections. The cocoa bean is the seed of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), a tropical plant indigenous to the equatorial regions of the Americas. From the processed cocoa bean comes the fluid paste, […]