INTRODUCTION

Food is any substance[1] consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually
of plant or animal origin and contains essential nutrients, such
as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an
organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain
life, and/or stimulate growth.

Animals

Animals are used as food either directly or indirectly by the products they produce. Meat is an
example of a direct product taken from an animal, which comes from muscle systems or
from organs. Food products produced by animals include milk produced by mammary glands,
which in many cultures is drunk or processed into dairy products (cheese, butter, et cetera). In
addition, birds and other animals lay eggs, which are often eaten, and bees produce honey, a
reduced nectar from flowers, which is a popular sweetener in many cultures

Plants
 Many plants or plant parts are eaten as food. There are around 2,000 plant species
which are cultivated for food, and many have several distinct cultivars.[4]
Fruits :
They are the ripened ovaries of plants, including the seeds within. Many plants have evolved
fruits that are attractive as a food source to animals, so that animals will eat the fruits and excrete
the seeds some distance away. Fruits, therefore, make up a significant part of the diets of most
cultures. Some botanical fruits, such as tomatoes, pumpkins, and eggplants, are eaten as
vegetables.[6] (For more information, see list of fruits.)
Vegetables:
They are a second type of plant matter that is commonly eaten as food. These include
  root vegetables
  leaf vegetables 
 stem vegetables 
 inflorescence vegetables 
Leaf vegetables,
They are also called potherbs, green vegetables, greens, or leafy greens, are
plant leaves cooked and eaten as a vegetable,. Although they come from a very wide variety of
plants, most share a great deal with other leaf vegetables in nutrition and cooking methods.
Nearly one thousand species of plants with edible leaves are known. Leaf vegetables most often
come from short-lived herbaceous plants such as lettuce andspinach. Woody plants whose leaves
can be eaten as leaf vegetables include Adansonia, Aralia, Moringa, Morus, and Toona species.

The leaves of many fodder crops are also edible by humans, but usually only eaten
under famine conditions. Examples include alfalfa, clover, and mostgrasses,
including wheat and barley. These plants are often much more prolific than more traditional leaf
vegetables, but exploitation of their rich nutrition is difficult, primarily because of their
high fiber content. This obstacle can be overcome by further processing such as drying and
grinding into powder or pulping and pressing for juice.
Stem vegetables 
They are plant stems used as vegetables. Although many leaf vegetables, root vegetables,
and inflorescence vegetables in fact contain substantial amounts of stem tissue, the term is
used here only for those vegetables composed primarily of above-ground stems

Infloresence vegetables 

They are the inflorescences of plants, including flowers, flower buds, and their

associated stems and leaves, eaten as vegetables. Example cauliflower, squash blossom , etc.,

Root vegetables
These are   plant roots used as vegetables. Here "root" means any underground part of a plant.

Root vegetables are generally storage organs, enlarged to store energy in the form
of carbohydrates. They differ in the concentration and the balance Between sugars, starches, and
other types of carbohydrate.
Classification of Root Vegetables
The following list classifies root vegetables according to anatomy;
Taproot: One of the types of root vegetables, this is a true root and not a modified stem. It is an
enlarged, fleshy root that is broad at the top and tapers gradually at the base. From the sides of
the main taproot, other smaller fibrous roots emerge laterally. Examples of taproots that are
consumed as vegetables include carrot, radish and turnip. 

Tuberous Root: Colloquially known as a storage root, it is a lateral root that has been modified
to serve as a storage portion for the plant under inactive growth season. Common examples of
tuberous root are yam and sweet potato, which we all are familiar with. As expected, it is large-
sized, starchy and contains high amounts of nutrients. 

Bulb: A bulb is a fleshy, globular stem, used for vegetative propagation. Alone this structure
acts as a dormant phase for seed producing plants (for example; dahlia bulbs, onion bulbs, etc.)
under unfavorable conditions, and houses a tender bud. When the favorite conditions arrive, the
resting bud germinates and grows into a new plant.
Rhizome: It is another underground structure that grows in a horizontal manner. Even when the
parent plant dies due to unfavorable growth conditions, this underground stem survives, allowing
the plant to propagate asexually. It later produces both roots and shoot for further growth.
Examples of rhizome vegetables are turmeric, lotus root and arrowroot.

Tuber: Many fleshy and

dense root vegetables are of tuber type. This is another modified stem, which is adapted for
storing plant nutrients and also, for vegetative reproduction. Potato is one such example of tuber
that is consumed as a starchy vegetable. Other examples of the same category are groundnut,
Jerusalem artichoke and tiger nut.

Corm: Very often, we confuse a corm with tuber. Also referred to as bulbotuber, it is a vertical,
short and bulbous stem. The plants that form a corm use this modified stem for asexual
reproduction during extreme cold and hot climatic conditions. Examples of edible corms
consumed as vegetables include taro, chestnut and cocoyam. 

Despite the name, this category includes both true roots and non-roots (or modified stems) of
plant. Botany distinguishes true roots such as tuberous roots and taproots from non-roots such
as tubers, rhizomes, corms, and bulbs, though some contain both taproot and hypocotyl tissue,
making it difficult to tell some types apart. In ordinary, agricultural, and culinary use, "root
vegetable" can apply to all these types.
Common Types of Root Vegetables

When it comes to plantation of root vegetables, they are very easy and require less
effort. Nearly all of them are used for asexual reproduction processes. They
themselves are responsible for vegetative propagation, when the parent plants are
not in a condition to produce seeds. In short, root vegetables play a major role in
helping the plants to overcome the least hospitable environmental conditions.

Carrots
A carrot is an excellent root vegetable for raw diet plan. This orange colored taproot is a rich
source of beta -carotene and is beneficial for improving eyesight. Carrots are also added in a
number of vegetarian and non-vegetarian stir fry recipes.

Potato
This starchy vegetable is an essential crop for the world food supply, leading 4th in the list of
largest food crops. This tuberous root is starchy and comes in various varieties (approximately
4,000 species). It can be stored easily and serves an excellent vegetable for every season.

Beets
These types of root vegetables are also available in white, striped and golden colors. Beets are
popularly consumed by baking, steaming or boiling. It can saute them with flavorful vegetable
oil or butter for a real treat. They can also be pickled for preservation. 

Radish
Radish is not just a vegetable, but it holds a specific place in herbal treatment. A good source of
vitamin C, it is found in different shapes, colors and sizes. Classification of this tuber vegetable
is done with respect to the growing season.

Garlic
Garlic shares the same family with onion, and is appreciated for its wide range of uses. Indeed,
there is hardly any herbaceous plant that is as valuable as garlic in both culinary and medicinal
applications. Though the leaves are also harvested for cooking purposes, the underground bulb is
more commonly used in raw or cooked form.

Onion
There are varied types of onions, which differ in color, size and taste. All parts of the onion plant
are edible and you can use them in salads, cooking and preserved foods. Onions are found raw,
pickled, canned, powdered, caramelized and in several other forms. 

Ginger and Turmeric

The rhizomes of ginger and turmeric plants are harvested for use as spices. They act as flavoring
agents in cooking varied dishes. In addition, they are highly prized herbs in medicine and
cosmetics. You might be already aware about the antiseptic properties of turmeric, and drinking
ginger tea for cold and cough.