TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best American Vegetable Types
Vidalia onion is a unique variety of onions with a sweet flavor, produced in Vidalia, Georgia in the United States of America. By 1977, the onions had their own annual festival, a tradition that continues up to this day. In 1990, Vidalia onions became the Official State Vegetable of Georgia.
The onions are at their peak in late summer, when they are used raw in salads or caramelized and combined with mashed potatoes.
The American state of Idaho produces more than 25 varieties of potatoes, from the firm Cal Red to the popular Russet Burbank to unusually named Russian Banana Fingerling. The most famous varieties include Russet Burbank, Russet Norkotah, Cal Red, Red La Soda, Red Norland, Russian Banana Fingerling, French Fingerling, Purple Peruvian Fingerling, Yukon Gold, and Yukon Gem Gold.
However, upon hearing the term Idaho potatoes, most people associate it with Russet Burbank, which has a distinctive, earthy flavor and high content of solids, making it ideal for baking. Its shape is elongated, with rough skin and few eyes.
Jewel Yam is an orange-fleshed sweet potato that was created in the mid-20th century in the United States. These large potatoes are usually cylindrical with copper-colored skin and tapered ends, while their flesh is bright orange, firm, and moist.
In cooking, they can be baked, roasted, cooked, or fried, but they are also commonly mashed or used in casseroles, soups, or even desserts. They remain bright orange after they are cooked, while their flavor is sweet and usually subtly earthy.
Hatch green chiles refer to various green chile peppers grown in the Hatch Valley, an area around the village of Hatch in the southern part of New Mexico, USA.
These chiles are prized for their unique flavor, which is somewhat milder than many other chile varieties (typically ranges from 500-3,000 SHUs on the Scoville scale, though some cultivars can reach closer to 10,000 SHUs) but with a distinct and rich taste.
Sport peppers are mild chili peppers that are especially popular in the Southern United States and Chicago. They're a key element of the popular Chicago-style hot dog. The peppers have a Scoville Heat Unit ranging from 10,000 to 23,000 and they're typically pickled in vinegar.
After they've been pickled, these green peppers turn pale green. The flavor is slightly spicy, tangy, and vinegary. Although they are believed to originate in Mexico, the name sport can refer to a variety of pickled peppers from the same family, but their most known usage is in Chicago and the American South.
Maui onions are a variety of sweet onion grown on the island of Maui in Hawaii. They are known for their unique, sweet flavor and low sulfur content, which makes them less pungent and more palatable when eaten raw compared to other onion varieties.
These onions are typically plump and round with a pale golden peel and a juicy, white flesh. They are known for being crisp and firm. Due to their sweetness, Maui onions are versatile in the kitchen. They can be eaten raw in salads or sandwiches, grilled, roasted, or used in salsas and dips.
Creole tomato is a tomato cultivar originating from Louisiana. It's characterized by its very thin skin, high juice content, and low levels of acidity. The tomato also has an intensely sweet aroma and characteristic flavors which are a result of fertile local soil and humid air.
Creole tomatoes are in season from June through August. It's important not to refrigerate them, as the process will diminish its naturally sweet flavors.
Datil is a type of hot pepper grown in the area of St. Augustine, bringing some serious Florida heat to the table. The pepper ranges from 100,000 to 300,000 Scoville heat units and it's from 12 to 120 times hotter than jalapeños.
Visually, datil looks like a slightly elongated and thin habanero pepper. The flavors are sweet, tropical, and fruity, so datil pepper is often used in salsas, hot sauces, and barbecue marinades. It's also a key component of Minorcan clam chowder, another specialty of St. Augustine.
Among many theories about its origin, the most popular one says that these peppers were brought over to Florida from Minorca, Spain in the late 1800s.
Kennebec is a potato variety that's predominantly grown and used in the United States and Canada. These all-purpose potatoes are large in size with thin skin and a texture that's slightly rough, with brown spots and shallow eyes visible on the skin.
The flesh is firm and starchy with minimal water content, while the flavor is nutty, rich, and earthy. The potatoes are most commonly used for potato chips, fries, hash browns, shoestring potatoes, and Hasselback potatoes. They can be roasted, mashed, baked, or fried due to their versatile qualities.
Iceberg lettuce is a popular variety of lettuce known for its crisp, refreshing texture and mild flavor. It forms a dense, round head with tightly packed leaves that range from pale green on the outside to almost white near the center. This lettuce has a high water content, giving it a distinctive crunch that is particularly valued in salads, sandwiches, and wraps.
Its light and crunchy nature make it a favorite for adding texture and freshness to dishes, such as burgers and tacos, where it balances richer or spicier flavors. While iceberg lettuce is not as nutrient-dense as darker greens like romaine or kale, it still provides some vitamins, including vitamin A and K, and is very low in calories, making it a hydrating and refreshing choice.
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