There are so many types of vegetables around the world that it can be tricky to name all of them when someone asks you to. Veggies That Start With O Perhaps you’d be able to name one or two of the vegetables that you usually pick up from the grocery store.
But what about some of the more unusual ones that can be found around the world?
We’ve decided to make the job super simple for you and collate all the vegetables that start with the letter O to make your job easier.
So the next time you get put on the spot and someone asks you to name as many vegetables that start with O as you can, you’ll be able to quote this list!
So let’s take a closer look at all the vegetables that start with the letter O.
1. Onion
Perhaps the first vegetable that you thought of when you first started reading this list of vegetables that start with the letter O is of course onion. This is a wonderfully versatile root vegetable that has a unique bulb shape.
It is one of the most common vegetables that you will find in the grocery store and has a wide range of culinary uses.
The onion is available in several varieties, including the brown onion, white onion, yellow onion, and red onion.
These can all be cooked much in the same way, either fried to create crispy deep-fried onion, sautéd as the basis of another dish, or even cooked in a variety of other ways.
Onions can be used diced, raw, sliced, cooked, or even whole. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a recipe that doesn’t call for onion as an ingredient in your recipes!
There are so many onion varieties to choose from that you will be spoiled for choice as to what to use in your favorite dishes.
2. Olive
The pedants among us may be shouting that olives are technically a fruit. However, thanks to their savory flavor profile and mostly savory culinary uses, olives are typically considered to be a vegetable.
There are several varieties of olives found around the world, but they can most simply be sorted into black olives and green olives.
Olives can be enjoyed cooked or raw, and they are even cold pressed to produce olive oil, which is used as the basis for frying food.
Olive oil is even tasty to enjoy on its own. We highly recommend making a dip with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then dipping a slice of crisp sourdough bread into it. Delicious!
So seeing as olives are such a popular vegetable around the world, it’s hardly surprising that they would be included on a list detailing vegetables that start with the letter O.
You may think that the biggest producer of olives would be Greece, but it’s actually Spain!
3. Ogonori
Now that we’ve covered the most common vegetables that start with the letter O, it’s time to start listing some of the more unusual varieties! Which of course leads us on to ogonori.
This is a variety of edible seaweed that is typically enjoyed across Japan, Southeast Asia, as well as in the Caribbean.
This tasty edible seaweed can be prepared in a vast variety of ways. It can be eaten raw, however, the most common ways to cook it are to steam, roast, boil, stew, or stir-fry it.
It is often used as the bed of raw oysters, added to salad dishes, pickled, or even used to make kimchi.
Ogonori is either purple or red, and can also be known by several names. These include Irish moss, gulaman, ogo, and kkosiraegi. This is a healthy variety of edible seaweed that packs a punch in terms of essential vitamins and minerals.
There is lots of calcium, iron, iodine, magnesium, and potassium in ogonori, so it will be well worth adding to your diet.
Related: Red As A Beetroot: 13 Different Types Of Red Colored Veggies/
4. Oil Palm
Now while the oil palm can’t be eaten in its natural state, once it has been processed, it is an ingredient that is used in a wide variety of cooking applications.
The oil palm is usually processed to produce palm oil, which can be used to make a range of sweet and savory foods. This vegetable oil is widely used to produce sweet treats such as cookies and pastry.
It’s worth noting that there are two varieties of oil palm tree often used to produce this palm oil. These are in Africa and South America, and are vital for a range of culinary and other applications around the world.
The vegetable oil from the oil palm plant typically comes from the fruit of the tree.
There are two different types of oil that can be produced from these: palm kernel oil comes from the process of crushing the kernels from inside the fruit or its stone; and crude palm oil, which is typically produced from pressing the flesh of the fruit.
5. Oregano
Chances are that you’ve enjoyed this tasty vegetable when you’ve had a slice of pizza from your local pizzeria!
Oregano is a wonderfully pungent herb that can be used either fresh or dried. It is frequently referred to as the pizza herb because this is what is most commonly used in American cuisine.
Dried oregano tends to be more pungent than fresh oregano, so if you are opting to use them interchangeably, you will need to adjust the dosage accordingly.
It is a wonderfully versatile herb that can be used in other types of cooking applications, including a range of pasta dishes.
Interestingly, oregano wasn’t actually all that popular in America before World War 2. It is a herb that originates from Greece, and was made popular when American troops tried pizza dishes that had the herb included.
It was introduced from the Mediterranean, and has now boomed in popularity across the United States.
6. Okra
Perhaps one of the weirder looking vegetables out there in the world, okra can also be known by the name ladies fingers. This is down to the appearance of the green pods, being long and slim, resembling fingers.
Don’t be fooled by their appearance being similar to spicy chili peppers like the jalapeño; okra actually has a wonderfully mild taste, and can be very tasty when prepared correctly.
Okra has unfairly gained a reputation as being a slimy vegetable to eat once cooked. This is because if you were to boil or steam them, they tend to retain that moisture, which can give them a slimy texture.
However, if you were to sauté, frill, roast, pickle, or fry your okra, they wouldn’t be slimy at all. In fact, this makes okra one of the most versatile vegetables that we have included on this list.
It couldn’t be easier to prepare your okra ready for eating. All you need to do is give the green vegetable a quick rinse under your kitchen faucet, then either cook them whole or dice them up to use in your favorite recipes. In terms of flavor, okra has often been compared to eggplants or green beans.
Related: U Is For Ube: Uber Veggies That Start With ‘U’/
7. Orache
This leafy vegetable has frequently been forgotten when compared to its more popular cousins, spinach and chard. However, orache is still a wonderfully versatile salad vegetable that can be used in a range of dishes.
Interestingly, there are actually several varieties of orache to choose from. The most popular in terms of culinary uses are garden orache or red orache.
When it comes to preparing your orache for cooking, you can treat it much as you would spinach or chard. You can either boil it, steam it, or you can use it raw in salads.
Orache can be enjoyed both cooked and raw, making it a wonderfully versatile addition to the kitchen store cupboard.
It is advised to use younger orache leaves for salad dishes if you select to eat it raw, whereas the more mature leaves will be best for cooking purposes. If you don’t have any spinach to hand, you can even use your garden orache as a suitable replacement.
In Summary
So there you have it! You now know all the different varieties of vegetables that have names starting with the letter O. There are a couple of obvious ones that we’re sure you already knew about, as well as some obscure entries that are used in different cuisines around the world.
We hope that you have enjoyed reading through this list of vegetables that start with the letter O!
The next time someone asks you to list a range of vegetables that start with the letter O, you can whack out your newly found foodie knowledge and impress them. You’ll never be caught out again with all the information we’ve collated for you above!
How many of these tasty vegetables have you heard of before? Are there any other vegetables beginning with the letter O that you think we’ve missed off our list? Let us know in the comments down below!
