Ingredients A-L | Ingredients M-Z | Rachel's Flowers
Ingredients M-Z
Mango - Succulent mango is known as the "King of Fruit" and is the one of the most-consumed fruits in the world. The flesh of a mango is peachlike and juicy with a hint of pineapple flavor. The mango tree plays a sacred role in India; it is a symbol of love and some believe that the mango tree can grant wishes. The 'paisley' motif is a design from India based on the mango.
Marionberry - Bright purple marion blackberries contain antioxidants and are full of vibrant berry flavor. Native to Oregon, the large berries have a succulent taste and bouquet described as earthy, sweet and tart.
Orange - Bursting with vitamin C, sweetly acidic oranges offer up clear, bright pulp and juice. Tropical, evergreen orange groves are unmistakable for their amazing aroma. In aromatherapy, orange is thought to be both uplifting and energizing. It is also thought to awaken creativity, inspire harmony and promote self-awareness. Orange is one of the few words in the English language that doesn't rhyme with anything.
Passion Fruit - Musky, sweet-tart passion fruit lends its aromatic orange flesh to everything from salads to ice cream to cool drinks. The small round fruit, filled with edible seeds and orange pulp, is native to South America where it's called granadilla or "little pomegranate." Purported to have calming qualities, passion fruit and passion flowers were often used in folk medicine to treat anxiety and insomnia.
Peaches - Sweet, luscious peaches are high in vitamin A and a good source of vitamin C. In ancient China, peaches were considered good medicine for everything from rheumatism to coughs. The juicy, velvet-skinned peach was commonly associated with springtime, marriage, fertility and long life.
Pectin - Pectin is a soluble fiber naturally found in most plants, especially citrus fruits and apples. Pectin is used in food as a gelling agent for jellies and jams. The pectin in Rachel's yogurt enhances the creamy texture.
Pineapple - Prickly on the outside and juicy within, golden pineapples are native to South America. Pineapples are a composite of many flowers whose individual fruitlets meet around a central core. Hummingbirds pollinate these flowers, allowing the pineapple to form. Pineapples get their name from their resemblance to pine cones. Long considered a symbol of hospitality, the pineapple was once a rare fruit. So rare in fact, it was called the "Fruit of Kings." (Not to be confused with the mango, King of Fruits.)
Plums - Plump, sweet plums contain a number of vitamins and minerals. They belong to the Prunus genus of plants and are relatives of the peach, nectarine and almond. Dry a plum - you'll get a prune. Round, oval or heart-shaped, plums can be red, purple, blue-black, red, green, yellow or amber, while their flesh continues the rainbow in hues of yellow, green, pink and orange.
Pomegranate - Break open a pomegranate to reveal a multitude of crystal clear ruby red seeds whose tangy sweetness is rich in vitamin C. A native plant of the middle east, pomegranates are an integral part of Middle Eastern cuisine used in syrups, juices, salads, entrees and desserts. From Greek mythology to the Bible, delectable pomegrantes have symbolized everything from beauty to timelessness.
Raspberries - Delicate, bumpy sweet raspberries come in red, black, purple or yellow. Raspberries' deep, tangy flavor profile conjures both hot summer berry picking and elegant desserts. In folk medicine, the leaves were used as an astringent and stimulant, and to soothe menstrual cramps. Raspberries are "aggregate fruits," which means they are formed by the aggregation of several smaller fruits, called druplets.
Strawberry - Luminously red, heart-shaped strawberries belong to the genus Fragraria in the rose family - derived from "fragrans," a Latin word for fragrant. Nutritious and delicious, strawberries are an adaptable fruit that grow in all manner of climates. Ancient Romans believed that the berries alleviated symptoms of melancholy. Madam Tallien, a great beauty credited with saving many lives during of the French Revolution, used to take baths full of strawberries to enhance the radiance of her skin. Bavarian dairy farmers still practice the annual spring rite of tying little baskets of wild strawberries to the horns of their cattle as an offering to elves. The belief is that elves, who are extremely fond of strawberries, will help produce healthy calves and abundant milk in return.
Turmeric - (for color) Turmeric is a member of the ginger family whose dried roots are ground into an intensely yellow spice. Brilliant yellow turmeric has been used as a dye, medicine and culinary accent since 600 B.C. Turmeric was traditionally used in Indonesia to dye couples' bodies as part of their wedding ritual.
Vanilla - Tantalizing, rich vanilla beans are harvested from equatorial orchids and are one of the most labor-intensive agricultural crops in the world. The orchids must be hand pollinated and the pods handpicked. Some folk traditions credit vanilla with a sedative effect, although others claim it promotes wakefulness and increases muscular energy, making it an effective aphrodisiac. Vanilla is native to Mexico; its Aztec name tlilxochitl, combines "tlilli" ("black") and "xochitl" ("pod"). According to South American Indian mythology, a young girl transformed herself into the plant as a result of unrequited love. As the story goes, she wanted to provide pleasure and happiness to all humankind.