Abdulla Bin Khater Foodstuff LLC

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Radish: Offering a peppery, satisfying crunch with every bite, radishes have a unique place in the hearts of veggie lovers. A root from the Brassica family and a cousin to cabbage, the many shapes, sizes and colors of different radish varieties is surprising.

The average large radish is red, round with a glistening white interior and roughly the size of a ping pong or golf ball. Another type is the creamy white daikon - a true tuber with the tail to show for it, and a winter radish, while the red ones proliferate in the spring. The original radish was black. Other varieties come in pink, dark grey, purple, two-tone green and white, and yellow.

The radish is well-traveled and ancient, mentioned in historical Chinese annals as early as 2, 700 B.C. Egyptians cultivated them even before building the pyramids. Greeks and Romans liked them as large as they would grow, and served them with honey and vinegar. Radish cultivation reached England, Germany, Mexico, and Puerto Rico by the 1500s. In Britain, radishes had medicinal as well as culinary uses, usually for kidney stones, bad skin, and intestinal worms. It may have worked, because the colonists brought radish seeds with them to the New World.

Zucchini is one of the very low calorie vegetables; provide only 17 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Its peel is good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation and offers some protection against colon cancers. Furthermore, zucchinis, especially golden skin varieties, are rich in flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such as carotenes, lutein and zea-xanthin. These compounds help scavenge harmful oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) from the body that play a role in aging and various disease processes.

Because of their rich green color, we don't always think about green beans as providing us with important amounts of colorful pigments like carotenoids. But they do! Recent studies have confirmed the presence of lutein, beta-carotene, violaxanthin, and neoxanthin in green beans. In some cases, the presence of these carotenoids in green beans is comparable to their presence in other carotenoid-rich vegetables like carrots and tomatoes. The only reason we don't see these carotenoids is because of the concentrated chlorophyll content of green beans and the amazing shades of green that it provides.

Carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene, and contain high amount of fiber. Beta carotene is important for eyesight, skin health, and normal growth.

Carrots are a good source of fiber, vitamin C and potassium, as well as vitamin B6, folate, and several minerals including calcium and magnesium.

Carrots have a higher natural sugar content than all other vegetables with the exception of beets. This is why they make a wonderful snack when eaten raw and make a tasty addition to a variety of cooked dishes.

Onions were historically as a preventative medicine during epidemics of cholera and the plague. They were apparently eaten by Roman emperor Nero as a cure for colds, and its reputation has made onions a popular component in the diets of many countries.

More than just a tasty culinary plant, the onion contains natural sugar, vitamins A, B6, C and E, minerals such as sodium, potassium, iron and dietry fibre. In addition, onions are a good source of folic acid.

Some of the most important health benefits include its ability to prevent certain types of cancer, lower cholesterol, protect against diabetes, lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, help in weight loss efforts, boost eye health, build strong bones, improve energy levels and circulation, and increase the health and responsiveness of the immune system.

Chilly also called Chili, chile, chilly, chily, Mirchi, chile pepper, Aji, Paprika. When landed in South America, Columbus discovered chilly and mistook it for pepper, naming it "Chile Pepper." Chilly was used from 7000 BC in Mexico and was cultivated from 3500 BC.

Celery is one of popular Mediterranean herbs recognized for its strong aromatic flavor that it imparts to variety of cuisines. It is a small biennial herbaceous plant originated in Europe. It can be grown easily as a potherb in the home-gardens for its flavorful leaves, shoots, roots, and seeds.

Botanically, celery belongs to the family of Apiaceae, in the genus; Apium, and known scientifically as Apium graveolens.

It is a small plant; reaching about half a meter in height and requires fertile, moisture rich soil to flourish.

Celery herb bears umbelliform flowers at the top of the stalk in the second year. Edible cluster of long, dark-green, somewhat hollow stalks grow upright from the crown of the plant. Its leaves have similar appearance to that of flat-leaf parsley.

A wonderful combination of tangy taste and crunchy texture, sweet bell peppers are the Christmas ornaments of the vegetable world with their beautifully shaped glossy exterior that comes in a wide array of vivid colors ranging from green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown to black. Despite their varied palette, all are the same plant, known scientifically as Capsicum annuum. They are members of the nightshade family, which also includes potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant. Sweet peppers are plump, bell-shaped vegetables featuring either three or four lobes. Green and purple peppers have a slightly bitter flavor, while the red, orange and yellows are sweeter and almost fruity. Paprika can be prepared from red bell peppers (as well as from chili peppers). Bell peppers are not 'hot'. The primary substance that controls "hotness" in peppers is called capsaicin, and it's found in very small amounts in bell peppers.

Lemon is an evergreen plant that belongs to the family Rutaceae. It originates from Asia, but it can be found in tropical and sub-tropical regions throughout the world today. Cultivation of lemon started in the first century AD. Lemon is important part of human diet, but it has numerous other, equally valuable properties. Lemon is used in pharmaceutical industry, in the food processing, in the cosmetic industry, for the production of perfumes and in the manufacture of cleansing products. Lemon is a staple food on the ships around the world because it prevents scurvy (disease that results from lack of vitamin C in a diet).

It is a very good source of dietary fiber, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin E, manganese, phosphorus, choline, vitamin B1, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), potassium and copper. Broccoli is also a good source of vitamin B1, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, zinc, calcium, iron, niacin and selenium.