Taro. Colocasia. A plant grown both for its leaves and tuberous, potato-like roots, or corms. The roots, the flesh of which may vary from white to pink, have a delicate flavour and can be peeled and boiled, roasted, mashed, fried or included in a stew.
Beef tartar. This is made from very finely chopped raw fillet of beef mixed with onion, gherkins (US: dill pickles) and capers and formed into the shape of a steak. A depression is made in the top into which a raw egg is broken. It is eaten raw. The meat really should not be minced (US: ground). It is thought to have originated with the fierce Tartars of the Baltic region of Russia who shredded the meat with a knife and ate it raw.
Blue crab. A mottled blue-green crab about 20 cm (8 inches) across with blue claws. It is found on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of North America and from France to Denmark in Europe. The blue crab is often eaten as soft-shelled crab.
Flour made from buckwheat, saracen corn. This is made from the dried fruit seeds or groats of a relative of the dock plant and rhubarb rather than a cereal plant. It originated in the Orient and has been cultivated in Europe since the end of the 14th Century and produces a triangular seed. These are dehusked and dried and then ground into flour which is grey with black flecks. It is not ideal for breads but is used for pancakes and noodles.
