Ingredients

Ginger

Clockwise from top: whole, shaved and candied ginger If any one particular flavor is responsible for the increasing popularity of Eastern cuisine in the US, it just might be ginger.

Cranberries

Cranberries Cranberries are as rooted in history and lore as they are in American holiday cuisine.

Domestic Cheese

Clockwise from top left: Teleme, aged dry Jack, carmody, fresh mozzarella, fromage blanc, stravecchio parmesan A new breed of American cheesemakers is determined to change preco

Yogurt

Creamy curdled milk. An oxymoron perhaps, but next to cheese, yogurt is milk’s greatest offspring. Smooth and subtly tangy, the ancient product dates back to the 1700s, when it originated in the Middle East. Whereas in America, yogurt typically suggests fruit and granola, in the Middle East it’s still a staple, consumed as beverage, condiment, entrée, side dish and dessert.

Unique Grains

Clockwise from top right: Red Thai rice, Chinese black rice, gobindavog, black quinoa, black barley, spelt/faro For thousands of years, grains have fed the world.

Specialty Citrus Fruits

Clockwise from top right: blood orange, key lime, lime, Meyer lemon With a peak season of mid-winter, citrus fruits typically brighten plates when other fruits a

Figs

Dried and fresh figs Boasting rich dark hues and an elegant, curvaceous shape, fresh figs are a luxury. They beg for fresh cheeses, salty cured meats or other fruits that enhance their sweetness.

Mussels

Clockwise from top left: Blue, green, Mediterranean Considered a staple in European cuisine for centuries, mussels are finally coming of age on American menus.

Beets, part 2

The beet is the fleshy root of a plant believed to have originated in North Africa. Red and white beets were prized by the Romans, who used their roots, while other cultures consumed only the leaves. In the 16th century, the English and Germans began to use the so-called garden beet as a vegetable, while light colored beets were used as livestock feed.

Jams and Jellies

Originally concocted as a way to preserve summer’s bounty, today’s preserved fruits like jams, jellies, and marmalades are more a simple pleasure than a necessity. Used in a range of sweet and savory dishes, their role in the kitchen is virtually unlimited. And although there will always be a place for strawberry jelly smeared on an English muffin, or apricot jam between layers of a perfect génoise, the use of these fruity mixtures is broadening beyond the bread basket and pastry cart.

Squash

Clockwise from top right: Sweet dumpling, acorn, delicata, kuri, kabocha (center), buttercup, butternut, spaghetti, turban The fall and winter months bring endless varieties resembling boomerangs

Cabbage

The ability of this hearty plant—believed to have been brought from Asia Minor to Europe around 600 BC—to withstand cold climates favored the spread of its cultivation across northern Europe. Cabbage (from the French caboche, a colloquial term for “head”) consists of superposed layers of thick leaves that may or may not form a head, that may be smooth or curled, and that vary in color from white to red. Because they are sheltered from direct sunlight, the inner leaves are paler than those on the outside.

Ingredients

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