Meaning of Vegetable
In everyday usage, a vegetable is any part of a plant that is eaten by humans as food as part of a meal. The term vegetable is somewhat arbitrary, and is largely defined through culinary and cultural tradition. It normally excludes other plant-derived foods such as fruits, nuts , and cereal grains, but includes seeds such as legumes. The original meaning of the word vegetable, still used in biology, was to describe all kinds of plants, as in the terms "vegetable kingdom" and "vegetable matter."
Vegetables were originally collected from the wild by hunter-gatherers and entered cultivation in various parts of the world, probably during the period 10,000 BC to 7,000 BC, when a new agricultural way of life developed. At first, locally grown plants would have been cultivated, but as time went on, trade brought exotic crops from elsewhere to add to the domestic types.
Today, most vegetables are grown around the world as weather permits , and crops can be grown in sheltered environments in less suitable locations. China is the largest producer of vegetables, and global trade in agricultural products allows consumers to buy vegetables grown in distant countries. The scale of production varies from subsistence farmers providing their family's food needs, to agribusinesses with large single-product crops. Depending on the type of vegetables in question, the harvesting of the crop is followed by sorting, storage, processing and marketing.
Vegetables can be eaten raw or cooked and play an important role in human nutrition, being mostly low in fat and carbohydrates, but high in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber . Many nutritionists encourage people to consume plenty of fruits and vegetables; five or more servings a day is often recommended.
A vegetable can be defined as "any plant, part of which is used for food", a secondary meaning being "the edible part of said plant". A more precise definition is "any plant part consumed for food that is not a fruit or a seed , but including ripe fruits that are eaten as part of a main meal." Outside these definitions are edible fungi (such as mushrooms) and edible algae which, although not parts of plants, are often treated as vegetables.
What Does vegetable Mean
The concept of vegetable is used to name vegetables , especially those that have green leaves . The term, however, is not scientific, so its scope may vary according to each country or culture .
In general, it can be said that vegetables are those edible plants whose leaves are green . In this sense, different parts of the plants can be included in the group according to what is part of the human diet: seeds such as peas or peas , stems such as asparagus , fruits such as cucumbers or leaves such as chard .
Some foods that are usually considered as vegetables are not characterized, however, by their green color, such as carrots , potatoes or potatoes , onions or aubergine . Green is given by a natural pigment called chlorophyll , which varies according to various characteristics and explains why greenish tones can vary even between plants of the same species.
There are various culinary uses for vegetables. Many of them are eaten raw in salads, seasoned with oil or vinegar. This is the case with lettuce or arugula . Other vegetables are often steamed , boiled, roasted, baked, or fried. It is even possible to blend some vegetables to drink, such as carrots.
Vegetables are considered a very healthy food, since they contain vitamins , fibers , minerals and other nutrients that serve as antioxidants or that help prevent various diseases , while their caloric and fat content is very low. It is important, in preparation, to wash the vegetables very well with drinking water to remove dirt and the eventual presence of toxic substances for the body.
A vegetarian diet is known as one that does not include products of animal origin, such as eggs, milk and meat, which is why vegetables represent one of its fundamental elements. It is worth mentioning that there are variants of vegetarianism that do allow the consumption of eggs and milk, and that is why the concept of strict vegetarianism is necessary to refer to the diet mentioned in the previous sentence.
Although many people do not know it, it is not necessary to use any product of animal origin to eat in a healthy and nutritious way, acquiring all the vitamins and proteins that are often associated with meat, as if it were their only source of obtaining. Veganism inspires millions of people to create a wide variety of delicious dishes using vegetables and legumes, which can be tastier and healthier than their meat alternatives.
In many cultures, it is common for children to dislike vegetables, or to prefer meat and less natural products. Even in countries where plant foods are highly valued, there is often the image of the little ones rejecting a vegetable dish. It goes without saying that the responsibility of this phenomenon is pure and exclusive of the parents, since no one is born feeling disgust towards broccoli or asparagus, but these may not be as attractive to a person who has spent their first years eating junk food like first option.
There are various ways to generate a taste for vegetables in these children, all with a high percentage of success rates, since the aforementioned rejection is not so common in adulthood. An almost infallible technique is to include vegetables in a preparation without letting the child know until they have tasted it and expressed their satisfaction. This is more revealing and direct than promising you a reward if you finish a plate of broccoli , as it shows you that the rejection was not justified.