Pike-perch or zander. It is a river fish with delicate flavour. They can be differentiated from the perch by the relatively large space between their dorsal fins and their elongate, fusiform body, which is never so steeply arched behind the head as it is in the Perch. The flesh is firm and white with a stronger flavour than cod. It was introduced into the United Kingdom in the 70's and is in danger of wiping out native species of fish.
Pilchards are just grown up sardines. Having said that, these lovely fish were a mainstay of trade in Cornwall. Caught in huge quantities, they would be smoked or tinned (US: canned) in oil or tomato and were a staple of the British diet in my youth. Pilchards on toast was a nutritious and filling meal on many an occasion. But also a classic of that time was salted pilchard, with pilchards laid out in a circle, tails overlapping, in balsa wood boxes, salted down and shipped across Europe where, as ever with fish, they were more popular than in the UK. The British then could just about tolerate their fish tinned, or as a paste, but the idea of anything much other than cod on a Friday (usually frozen) was rarely tolerated! how things have changed. Sadly, the bottom fell out of the pilchard market but some bright spark has rebranded them as ‘Cornish sardines’ and they are really sought after again.
Beef cut. Sirloin steaks. Tender, juicy, prime steaks from the loin. They contain the bone and marbling, as well as an outer layer of fat.
Bird cherry. A variety of black-skinned, wild cherry most often used to make a conserve. It is often used as root stock.
The pineapple is the fruit of a palm. This sweet and succulent fruit has a warty, dented, golden-tan, patterned skin and a crown of sharp, upright green leaves. Once the crown, the skin and the eyes which penetrate it are removed, the ivory to golden flesh is revealed. However delicious they are, do not eat too many as they contain an acid which can damage your mouth if eaten in excess. I speak from bitter experience. A friend of mine and I could barely speak after a few days of eating pineapples almost exclusively for a few days in India. It is also a variety of tomato. A ripe pineapple will have slightly brown and brittle points on each of the raised hexagons on the outside; if tugged hard a leaf from the crown will come away and, if the fruit is inverted and the base is pressed with the thumbs, it will give under the pressure.
Feijoa. A fruit which is about 5 cm (2 inches) long and has whitish-green flesh which encloses a soft, seed-filled core. It has a flavour of guava and pineapple.
