Vanilla beans are the seed pods of the vanilla orchid and are known for their rich, aromatic, and sweet flavor. They an essential ingredient in a wide range of culinary creations. Their properties have made them a staple in desserts, beverages, and various other dishes around the world.
You may know lotus flowers as the beautiful flowers floating on the water. These flowers and leaves grow from the lotus root that lies at the bottom of the water. The taste is a bit like potato, but a bit sweeter. The lotus root is super decorative because a beautiful pattern of air chambers appears when cut.
Ornamental pumpkins (or ornamental fruit or ornamental gourds) is a plant species that comes from the cucumber family and, as the name suggests, is not edible. Of course they are very nice as decoration in the house or at the front door. In the fall you see them popping up everywhere and they are also widely used as decoration for the Halloween party. The ornamental pumpkins are available in many different shapes, colors and sizes.
Star anise is a real flavor bomb and loved for its beautiful shape and aromatic smell and taste, licorice-like and strong. Because of its spicy character it is widely used as a flavoring in curries, sauces and stews and is a popular ingredient in Asian cuisine. Because of its beautiful shape, you often see star anise as a garnish for desserts and cocktails.
Liquorice has a strong sweet taste with hints of anise and fennel. Because of its strong sweet taste, it is widely used as a natural sugar substitute in various dishes, but you can also make delicious tea or gluhwein with it.
Loomi is a small lime that is cooked in brine until rock hard. This gives them an intense citrus flavor, but with an earthy and smoky undertone. Loomi is a staple of Iranian cuisine. It is widely used by world-renowned chef Yotan Ottolenghi.
Cinnamon is a spice that comes from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree. Cinnamon is sold in sticks and has a sweet and unique taste.
This special fruit immediately attracts your attention with its snake-like skin. Under the stiff skin there are a number of white, crunchy parts, the taste of salak can best be compared to pineapple
Kumquats are small citrus fruits that can be eaten in whole even the skin! The taste of the skin is sweet, slightly bitter and is delicious in combination with the sour pulp. Cut them into slices for a salad or eat them as a healthy snack.
The kaffir lime is all about the zest. This particular wrinkled peel is used for its intense aroma. Not surprisingly is that this wonderful scent is often used in perfumes! But as a flavor to spice your dinner up it is also a beautiful product. You can grate the skin and use it in curries and bumbu, for example.
Buddha hand (also called Buddha fingers) is a special name for a special looking fruit. A kind of lemon 'gone wild'. It has a sweet, lemony aroma and no juice or pulp. The mild-tasting white part of the Buddha hand is not bitter, unlike most citrus fruits.
These bulky bananas differ from regular bananas in the sense that they cannot be eaten raw.
Physalis is an beautiful berry encased in a papery husk. This makes the fruit look much like a paper lantern. The berry is golden-yellow and consists of tiny, soft edible seeds. The flavour can be described as sweet-sour.
The ‘lucky few’ who have visited the Philippines might have had a taste of the refreshing orange coloured lemonade. This lemonade is made from calamansi, a little round citrus.
Pine nuts are the seeds of a pine. They come from four different types of pine trees, The seeds are in a kind of pine cone on the pine tree, so they are not visible from the outside. It is an essential product for the pesto & capriccios.
Coconut reminds us of vacations, tropical beaches and summer cocktails. Despite the name “coconut” is it actually not a nut, but a stone-fruit. When it's picked, it's still in a green husk. When you remove the husk, the hairy woody 'nut' appears, which contains delicious coconut meat and coconut water.
Mini pak choi is the little brother of common pak choi and has soft, crunchy white stems and dark green leaves. The taste is fresh and fairly neutral with a pleasant bite. Mini pak choi tastes fantastic in Asian stir-fries.
The carambola is as well named star fruit. This fruit got its name from the fact that when you cut it into slices, it resembles a star. The flesh of the carambola is very juicy, yellow and a bit tart. A ripe carambola is firm and has a bright yellow skin. The more yellow colour of the skin, the sweeter the taste.
The pearl onion is a tiny onion variety which doesn't grow a lot bigger than 1 to 1.5 centimeters. In the Netherlands you often come across pickled pearl onions. These fresh, small onions are suitable very suitable for pickling or can be processed in a stew.
This sharp and spicy root is popular in countries such as Germany and Great-Britain, but is now gaining popularity in other countries. It is often confused with horse radish because they got a comparable feeling of mustard-like heat. Unlike chillies, the heat from wasabi and horseradish does not linger for very long.
Cassava is a large edible root. Cassava is also known by the names of tapioca, manioc or yucca. The flavour can be compared to a potato. In addition, they have in common that both contain a lot of starch.
Myoga is also called Japanese ginger. It's ginger's little sister and it's praised for it’s beautiful, delicate flower buds. These young flower buds grow directly from the ground and when you let them grow, flowers will appear. The taste of myoga is like ginger, but mild and has the bite of a shallot.
For centuries, Turmeric has been known by many cuisines for its beneficial effects and delicious taste. In all those years turmeric has received a lot of nicknames. From kurkuma to yellow carrot or magic carrot from the east. An important characteristic is that turmeric has a slightly bitter, earthy taste and it leaves a beautiful yellow colour to dishes.
Ginger is an indispensable part of the world kitchen today. The fresh, sharp and unique taste gives body to many dishes! Ginger is a tuber, extracted from the rhizome of the ginger plant.
T. +31 174-535353
exotics@bud.nl
Bud Holland
Transportweg 67
2676 LM Maasdijk
The Netherlands
T. +31 174-535353
exotics@bud.nl
Bud Holland
Transportweg 67
2676 LM Maasdijk
The Netherlands
