Nigella. The small, black, bitter seeds of a relative of "love-in-a-mist". Nigella is often incorrectly called wild onion seed or black onion seed. The seeds have a sharp, pungent flavour with a hint of a smell of strawberries and are used for flavouring confectionary and liquors.
Poppy seeds, from the seed of the opium poppy. They are improved by roasting and are used for thickening curries instead of cornflours or other starches.
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.
