If you were asked to make a list of vegetables that start with the letter Z, we’re sure the only one that would spring to mind is zucchini.
The letter Z is a tricky one in the alphabet, especially when asked to think of words that start with it as the first letter. There are very few that might cross your mind that actually start with the letter Z.
To help make your job easier the next time you’re at a quiz, we’ve put together this list of vegetables beginning with the letter Z.
There are slightly more than just the humble zucchini, and we’re going to cover these in a little more detail.
As an added bonus, we’re also going to cover a couple of fruits that begin with the letter Z so that you can get even more impressive foodie knowledge!
So let’s take a look at all the vegetables that start with the letter Z in their name.
Vegetables That Start With Z
Zebra Eggplant
Eggplants are of course one of the more versatile types of vegetables that you can find on your grocery store shelf. But what about this striking zebra eggplant variety?
This variety of course gets its name from that beautiful striped skin, with slashes of white interspersed along the typical purple flesh.
The zebra eggplant also has a wonderfully mild flavor, so this is the ideal eggplant variety to start with if you don’t want to overwhelm your senses.
Zingiber Officinale
Ever heard of the Zingiber officinale on the restaurant menu? We’re sure you enjoy eating this root vegetable all the time, and you just haven’t known it! Zingiber officinale is the Latin name for ginger.
This fascinating root vegetable has a notorious amount of health benefits, including aiding nausea, helping to improve heart health, and lowering cholesterol.
This root can be enjoyed grated into food, powdered, or even crystallized as a sweet treat for a spicy kick.
Zizania Latifolia
Perhaps one of the more unusual vegetables starting with the letter Z is the zizania latifolia.
This is consumed as a vegetable in China, and is known by several names, including water bamboo and Manchurian wild rice.
Zizania latfolia is usually consumed as a cereal grain throughout the rest of the world, but in China they use the edible part of the plant once the husks have been removed.
It is available in 3 different types: green stem, white stem, and pink or red stem. All of these mature in different parts of the season.
Zingiber Cassumunar
As you’ve probably guessed, the fascinating Zingiber cassumunar is a close relative of Zingiber officinale, also known as ginger.
Zingiber cassumunar is also known as cassumunar ginger, and just like its regular counterpart, tends to mostly be used to flavor food.
The cassumunar ginger rhizome tends to be larger than standard ginger, and is a particular favorite in East Asian cultures and dishes.
Zostera
If you’ve ever been adventurous while visiting Mexican restaurants along the coast of Sonora, chances are that you may have come across zostera in your culinary experiments. This is otherwise known as eelgrass, which is a type of seaweed.
The leaves are typically harvested from underwater and can be eaten bow cooked and raw. The bases of the leaves tend to be sweet and crispy, and are typically enjoyed as a feast food by Native Americans.
All parts of the plant are considered to be edible, with the seeds being ground and roasted for use as an oatmeal, and the plant roots also being chewable.
Zucchini
Of course, we couldn’t mention vegetable names beginning with Z and miss zucchini off the list!
This dark green vegetable is wonderfully versatile, and can be used for all types of dishes from casseroles to cakes.
In fact, zucchini is a particular favorite in a classic casserole dish because of how well it blends with other ingredients, including roasted tomatoes. It can also be combined with orange zest to make a tasty drizzle cake.
Also known as courgette in Europe, zucchini is a variety of squash that can technically be classed as a fruit, because it grows above ground. However, it is widely considered to be a vegetable.
Fruits That Start With Z
Seeing as there really aren’t a lot of vegetable names beginning with the letter Z, we thought we’d give you a little extra and cover a few fruits that also begin with the letter Z! How many of these have you heard of?
Zabergau Reinette Apples
You may not have seen this particular variety of apple here in America, however, it is incredibly popular over in its native land of Germany.
The zabergau reinette apple is a rather large variety, with a brownish-green appearance that is similar to the more common russet apple. It can be a little trickier to eat straight from the vine, as it is typically harder to chew with a dense flesh.
Once the apple has been placed in cold storage for a month or two, the flesh tends to be softer to eat. It has a sweet flavor profile, and can be enjoyed both raw or cooked into cakes.
Zalzalak
A native fruit of Iran, the zalzalak fruit has a similar appearance to classic red persimmons, or even as a red variety of a black sapote fruit. However, the zalzalak fruit is more ovan in appearance.
This fruit has an unusual sweet and sour flavor profile, and tends to come with a whole range of health benefits for those who enjoy eating them.
These fruits are rich in antioxidants to give your immune system the boost it needs, and it can also help to prevent heart disease.
Zalzalak fruit can be eaten either raw or even turned into a preserve to be spread on toast.
Zhe Fruit
You may have heard of this fruit already, as it has a wide variety of names, including Mandarin melon berry, che fruit, as well as cudrang.
In terms of appearance, the zhe fruit appears to be incredibly similar to the common raspberry, however it is more geometrical and less rounded.
At a glance they may appear similar to the lychee fruit, but are softer and don’t have that outer shell to protect the flesh. Once they are fully ripe, they appear to be rich red, and can be enjoyed both cooked in dessert dishes or eaten raw.
Zigzag Vine Fruit
The zigzag vine fruit, also known as zigzag fruit, is particularly popular in its native Australia. These are the berries found on the zigzag vine plant, and have a vibrant orange flesh.
This is a highly versatile fruit that is typically used in a range of cooking applications, most notably being transformed into a liqueur or used to create sauces for other savory dishes.
The fruit itself has an interesting spicy, sherbert orange flavor.
Zinfandel Grapes
Chances are that you’ve already enjoyed the tasty benefits of these Zinfandel grapes. These are one of the many types of grapes that are used to create White Zinfandel wine, as well as several other varieties.
Zinfandel grapes are a black-skinned wine grape that are typically smaller than other grape varieties, so don’t tend to be consumed raw like its larger counterparts.
It tends to be used to craft those tasty Zinfandel wines that we’re sure you enjoy a glass of on a Saturday evening.
Ziziphus Fruit
Another favorite for Asian dishes, the ziziphus fruit is also known by the name jujube fruit.
There are 3 varieties of this fascinating fruit, all of which are edible. It is best to eat them raw, but you’ll want to do so before they have had the chance to ripen too much.
In this case, the fruits tend to dry out, and will need to be rehydrated before you can enjoy them.
The most common use for these fruits in Asia tends to be in Chinese medicine. It is thought to aid the treatment of blood deficiency.
Zongchak/Zwangtah
The zongchak fruit is another impressive variety that is known by a whole different number of names, some of them still beginning with the letter Z! The zongchak fruit is also known as zwangtah, as well as yongchak.
This is a variety of legume that usually is grown in the Manipur state of Northern India. Interestingly, this is another plant where the whole of the plant is considered to be edible.
The beans, flowers, and pods are typically consumed as food, with the pods being a particular favorite.
Zongchak is often used for a wide variety of both savory and sweet recipes around the world, but particularly in Indian cuisine.
Zwetschge
Also known as the prune plum, zwetschge are particularly popular in Europe. These can be enjoyed both cooked and raw, and the fruit tends to hold itself well.
They are more commonly used in desserts such as tarts because of their slightly sweet but tart nature.
They tend to be slightly smaller than standard plums and are more oval.
In Summary
So there you have it! You should now have an encyclopedic knowledge of all the fruits and vegetables that start with the letter Z.
There are so many hidden vegetables and fruits that the population weren’t aware of, thinking that zucchini was the only edible vegetable that begins with the letter Z in its name.
However, we’re sure that some fruits and vegetables that we’ve included above have surprised you.
Why not impress all of your family and friends with your newfound foodie knowledge? We bet they haven’t heard of the majority of vegetables that start with Z that we’ve covered in more detail above!
The majority of people who have no interest in the subject, and aren’t green fingered assume that all plants and vegetables require the same growing conditions. This is not the case at all. Each plant has its own unique and interesting history and growing process.
I hope you will find The Natural List useful, and that it will help educate you on the wide variety of different flower and plant species there are across the globe.
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