Long pepper. They are tiny berries which cleave to a single rod which looks similar to a dried catkin and provide a hot, sweet spice.
Chirongi nuts. They are similar to pine nuts and are small, rounded nuts resembling Egyptian lentils. They are used in India to garnish halvas, cakes and creams and in puddings and pillaos.
Pointed gourd, often called the green potato. It is related to cucumbers and looks like a swollen courgette (US: zucchini). Like other relatives, such as the ridged gourd, it is used to bulk up soups, stews and curries, or sweetened, or eaten fried and as dorma with roe stuffing.
Pigeon pea. Otherwise known as red gram or yellow lentil. These and chickpeas (US: garbanzo beans) are the most important in India.
Buffalo fish. A carp-like fish which can grow to a large size. It is found commonly in rivers and freshwater lakes in and around South Asia and South-East Asia. It is highly regarded fish eaten on auspicious occasions. The roe of rohu is also considered as a delicacy by Oriyas and Bengalis. It is deep fried and served hot as an appetizer as part of an Oriya and Bengali meal. It is also stuffed inside pointed gourd to make potoler dolma which is considered a delicacy. Rohu is also served deep fried in mustard oil, as kalia which is a rich gravy made of concoction of spices and deeply browned onions and tok, where the fish is cooked in a tangy sauce made of tamarind and mustard.
