There are over 7,000 varieties of apples in the market today.

Johnny Appleseed was a real person named John Chapman who walked barefoot across a huge area, planting apple trees that provided food and a livelihood for generations of settlers in the U.S.

Apricots in the United States are primarily grown in sunny California.

Apricots are originally from China.

Blueberries are native to North America. They grow wild throughout the woods and mountainous areas of the United States and Canada. And of course, they are also farmed.

American Indians enjoyed cranberries which they cooked and sweetened with honey or maple syrup. This cranberry sauce recipe that probably a treat enjoyed at the first Thanksgiving feasts.

Half the annual harvest of cranberries in the U.S. comes from Massachusetts.

Figs are pollinated by tiny wasps.

Grapefruit was discovered in the 1800s in the Caribbean island of Barbados, and got their name from the way it's arranged when it grows - hanging in clusters just like grapes.

Kiwifruit are named in honor of the native bird of New Zealand, the kiwi, whose brown fuzzy coat resembles the skin of the fruit.

Early British explorers and traders earned the nickname "limey," because they carried limes on their travels to prevent scurvy, a disease caused by lack of vitamin C.

Oranges originated thousands of years ago in Asia.

Christopher Columbus used to call papaya “the fruit of the angels.”

Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. in which pineapples are still grown.

Even in ancient Roman times, there were already over 300 varieties of plums.

Highly prized by the ancient Romans, raisins were given as prizes for the winners of sporting events.

There are more than 600 varieties of strawberries that differ in size, texture, and flavor.

Avocados are native to Central and South America and have been cultivated there since 8,000 B.C.

Carrots come in many colors - including white, yellow, red, or purple, and of course orange.

Cucumbers were very popular in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome, whose people enjoyed them as a food but also for their beneficial skin healing properties.

Thomas Jefferson, who was also an experimental botanist, introduced eggplant to the United States in 1806.  

In light of its many benefits and pungent odor, garlic is called the “stinking rose.”

Garlic was not only bestowed with sacred qualities and placed in Egyptian tombs, but it was given to the slaves that built the Pyramids to enhance their endurance and strength.

Shiitake mushrooms have been used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years where they are a symbol for living a long life.

The olive tree was valued in history as a symbol of peace and happiness.

Early American settlers used wild onions to treat colds, coughs, and asthma, and to repel insects.

Japanese cultures have been consuming sea vegetables (seaweeds) for more than 10,000 years.

Winter squash was a vegetable of such importance of Native Americans that they buried it along with the dead to provide them nourishment in the afterlife.

I love beans and rice, a simple but nutritious combination that always leaves me satisfied. Mexican food elevates and expands upon this basic meal to such incredibly delicious combinations. Corn, beans, and chilies are the very distinctive ingredients in Mexican food. Mexican cuisine is very diverse, and more impressive is that most of its ingredients are native to the country. Mexican cuisine is considered an "intangible cultural heritage" by the United Nations. Mexican food is very rich in energy. Corn is used to make tamales, tortillas, gorditas. or can be eaten fresh. Chilies are the most famous spice, along with cilantro, cocoa, cinnamon, epazote, and oregano.  Guacamole, avocado mashed with onions, chilies and cilantro is served as a garnish. A very traditional dish is called Mole, peculiar for its combination of chocolate, chilies, and spices. You can obtain many important vitamins from Mexican food, but it is important to get fresh ingredients and be careful when eating in restaurants as lard (unhealthy animal fat) is often an ingredient.

One of my weekly favorites, Thai food is based on a combination four flavors plus heat (spice). The secret of a good Thai dish is the right balance of its four flavors: sour, sweet, creamy, and salty, all mixed under the right heat! Spices are essential of Thai cooking. Almost every recipe starts with a paste made of shallots, garlic, and green or red chilies, plus an addition of herbs such as coriander, galangal, lemongrass, and Kaffir lime leaves. The last three ingredients give Thai food its uniqueness. Furthermore, Thai is good if you are vegetarian, because most Thai dishes consist of rice or noodles with vegetables. Thai food can have meat, which can be substitute for tofu or other protein based ingredients. But importantly, meat is just one small part of a dish, and not the dominant ingredient of main focus of the meal

I think of all the kinds of foods, Indian is my favorite. I just love the diversity of spices and flavor combinations. Just hearing Indian music makes me crave it! Many people think Indian food is as diverse as the all the cuisines of Europe put together because it combines very ancient histories of thousands of different regional cuisines from across India. The staples of Indian food are Bajra (pearl millet), rice, atta (a type of whole wheat flour), curries, and a variety of legumes. A blend of many spices is combined with these main products, and even with beverages. Indian food is famous for its use of a wide variety of colorful, flavorful, and healthy spices. Most commonly used spices are cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, dried ginger, bay leaves, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, ajwain and black pepper. Turmeric is another spicy best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry; it has a peppery, warm, bitter flavor, and slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger. Turmeric is an excellent source of iron and manganese, and has been used in the Chinese and Indian medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent. It has a bright yellow color; you can try adding it to your brown rice and salad dressings. Spices in Indian cuisine can be mixed with coconut oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or the most traditional one called ghee. Ghee is clarified butter, and is made from animal milk, and with just a little you can add a lot of flavor to the food. Indian Thali is a plate with varieties of vegetables or meat options, curries, fritters, chutney (freshly made sauce), raita (vegetables or fruits combined with yoghurt), roti (flatbread), rice and sweets.

Considered by many, including myself, as one of the most diverse, flavorful, and interesting cuisines in the world, Peruvian food is a blending of ancient traditions and modern influences. Basic traditional ingredients such as potatoes, corn, yucca or manioc, peppers, red meats and fish are found in most of the well-seasoned dishes. The coastal waters of Peru offer a bounty of seafood, which is common in local meals, especially in the form of ceviche, where fish is “cooked” in the acid of lime juice or vinegar and spices. Influences of Italian, Japanese, and Spanish are common in this cuisine but with unique names. For example, Chinese food is very common in Peru and has blended with Peruvian flavors and evolved into its own local style known as Chifa. The abundance of rice and potatoes, often on the same plate is balanced by the richness of its seasoning and the diversity of its flavors.

Raviolis, stuffed with spinach or pumpkin, are a favorite in my house, but there are so many other incredible Italian dishes. In fact, it is difficult to talk about just one style of Italian cuisine! On the contrary Italian cuisine is rich because it varies so much from region to region.  Italian regional cuisine has also evolved even more as it spread to other countries. However, Italian food can be generally described by its simplicity of high quality ingredients.  Italian cuisine is broadly known for its diverse menu of pasta. Linguine, fusilli, spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna, and tortellini are just a few of the amazing varieties. Pasta is a great addition to any persons diet, but I tend to choose whole wheat pasta instead of bleached flour pasta because of its health benefits. Pasta is usually served with the famous tomatoes or pesto sauce. Common ingredients are: olive oil, potatoes, nuts, garlic, peppers, olives, zucchini, and varieties of sausages, salami, and cheese. Italian food if often not seen as especially healthy because some interpretations of Italian food use excessive amounts of some of its ingredients like cheese, keep in mind that portion is important. Watching the portion we eat is the most important point! Italian is so delicious, you don’t need to super-size it.

French cuisine is one of the most famous food styles around the world, and as Italians they have taken advantage of different geographies and climates to obtain a diverse type of ingredients. A French meal can range from the traditional and simple baguette with cheese to much more elaborate affairs that involve many courses. Most common vegetables and ingredients are: olive oil, fine herbs as tarragon, rosemary, thyme, tomatoes, carrots, leek, turnip, eggplant, shallots, butter, and zucchinis. Some regional cuisines use truffle, porcini, and other varieties of fungi to bring a deep, rich, and earthy tone to the food. Most the types of meat are common ingredients in French food, and fish is one of the most important. French passion for their cuisine is rooted in fresh, local ingredients from street market or special neighborhood stores that sell meat and fish.

A simple Greek meal of hummus (chick peas blended with olive oil), baba ganoush (roasted and blended eggplant), pita, and olives is a regular favorite in my home. The most ancient and probably important ingredient of Greek cuisine is olive oil. It really adds a particular flavor to the food, and Greece grows amazing olives! Wheat and barley are the basic cereals. Wine is a common drink of adults in Greece, and even some legend claims that wine was invented in Icaria, a Greek island. Olive oil, cereal, and wine are known as the Mediterranean trio that reflects the simplicity of  Greek cuisine. Vegetables commonly found in in Greek foods are tomato, eggplant, potato, green beans, okra, and green peppers. Greek cuisine uses oregano, mint, thyme, garlic, dill, and bay laurel more often than other Mediterranean cuisines. The varieties of cheese are as diverse as the vegetarian options in Greek cuisine. Some combinations in vegetarian dishes are: artichokes with olive oil, okra with tomato sauce, baked peas with artichokes or leeks with rice. A favorite meat in Greece is lamb, but it is served in smaller portions along with abundant vegetables.

Chinese food is very popular in many parts of the world, but sadly most people only enjoy few of the many Chinese styles. Traditional Chinese food follows five major regional styles: Beijing, Hunan, Sichuan, Fujian and Canton. Their differences are based on the availability of ingredients in each region. However, all Chinese food follows the ying-yang principle. Ying means cool and yang means hot. Poaching, boiling, and steaming correspond to the ying cooking method; roasting, deep-frying, and stir-frying are the ones for the yang. In similar way, ingredients are categorized and mixed based on this principle. Main foods are rice, noodles, vegetables, wheat, soybeans, herbs, and seasonings. Typical vegetables are among the most healthy, the leafy greens like bok choy (chinese cabbage), chinese spinach, on choy, yu choy, and gailan. The famous tofu, a great source of protein that can be flavored in endless ways, is made of soybeans. Soy sauce is the most famous Chinese seasoning, and it is made from fermented soya beans and wheat. Other sauces widely used are oyster sauce, rice vinegar, and fish sauce. Ginger, garlic, spring onion, white pepper, and sesame oil are spices used in different regional cuisines. Tea is a very famous beverage produced in China, and green tea a beverage high in health promoting antioxidants.

I really enjoy the ritual of eating Ethiopian food. You sit with family and friends, and you get to eat with your hands! People tear off a piece of Injera, and use it to scoop some of the different varieties of wat that sit on a large common plate in the middle of the gathering. Injera is a flat bread made of teff (a fine grain unique to Ethiopia), and different stews on top. Stews or wat are made of vegetables and meat, prepared with vegetable oil or niter kibber (a mix of clarified butter with spices), all combined with berbere (a spicy blend of garlic, allspice, cardamom, cloves, fenugreek, ginger, black pepper, salt, and hot cayenne pepper) or alicha (without the hot pepper).  Meats used in Ethiopian cuisine are beef, chicken, fish, goat, and lambs. Typical legumes and vegetables used to prepare wat are peas, lentils, potatoes, carrots and chard. Beverages are very exotic. A flaxseed drink is even a beverage!

Moroccan cuisine is recognized as the culinary star of North Africa. Staples in this cuisine are spices: cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, ginger, pepper, paprika, anise seed, sesame seeds, coriander, saffron, among others. Flavors also include some native products like saffron, mint, olives, and oranges. Ras el hanout is a typical blend of dried spices, which can include from 10 to 100 spices, but each shop has its own secret recipe! This blend can be used for seasoning meat and rice. Couscous is another staple in Moroccan food, served as side dish with lamb or chicken, and topped with vegetables. Lamb is the main meat, but fish is also popular. Both meats can be cooked in an earthware tagine, a circular pot made of clay. Common desserts in Moroccan meals are seasonal fruits. And green tea with mint is a very popular drink.

When I think of Vietnamese food, I think fresh! Fresh and healthy ingredients help define  Vietnamese cuisine. Among the reasons to consider Vietnamese cuisine as one of the healthiest food styles are its minimal amount of oil used to cook, vegetables are often uncooked or cooked very lightly, and an abundance of herbs are used.  Rice is the main starch used in almost every meal, and is also used to make cakes and noodles. Fish, chicken, pork, beef, and seafood are popular meats. Vietnamese cuisine also has many vegetarian dishes, reflective of the local Buddhist culture. Common herbs may include lemon grass, mint, Vietnamese mint, coliander, Thai basil, lime or kaffir. Traditional Vietnamese cuisine recognizes the properties of ingredients as cool, warm, hot, spicy, or sour, and carefully mixes them following a similar ying-yang principle as Chinese food.

A special treat in my life it to go out for sushi. But often I like to make sushi rolls at home, often just making them from veggies and fruits. Sushi is the most famous Japanese food. Many people are amazed by how simple raw fish or vegetables on a little pillow of rice wrapped in seaweed can be so delicious. A large variety of different fish, shellfish, and other seafood are used in the Japanese cuisine, and the abundance of fresh seafood is believed to be a major factor in the good health of the Japanese people. Fish is prepared in many different manners.  For example it is boiled, grilled, steamed, dried, deep fried or eaten raw. But the most important food in Japanese culinary is rice. Japanese rice is short grain and becomes sticky when cooked, although there are many more varieties of rice grown in Japan. Rice is also used to make wine, crackers, and cakes. Onigiri is a typical dish that has the basic ingredients: rice balls with seafood or vegetables in the middle, and wrapped on dried seaweed (nori). Seaweed is rich in vitamins and minerals and makes great additions to soups. You can even make a delicious and super-healthy salad made from just several varieties of seaweed!

My favorite place on Earth is Hawaii! The blue ocean, green islands, and friendly people are just wonderful!  And the cuisine is delicious too.  Hawaii, New Zealand, and Easter Island as the most famous places, but Polynesia is made of over 1000 islands. Not surprisingly, fish and seafood are its primary source of protein among the islands. Products like “maroro” or flying fish, salmon, crayfish, oysters, pipis, and tuatua hint at the great diversity of seafood.  Different Polynesian cultures eat raw fish in their own way. Some Samoan people cut the fish into bits and let it marinate in a lemon juice, coconut cream, salt, and onion mixture. A traditional Cook Island recipe serves the raw fish with coconut cream, cooked root vegetable such as taro, kumara, breadfruit or boiled green bananas. Breadfruit, a gigantic spikey fruit that grows on a tree is rich is starch, and before being eaten it is be baked, boiled or roasted. A very particular cooking style in Polynesian cuisine comes from New Zealand. Taking advantage of the volcanoes that underliethe islands, people cook some dishes by putting them in the hot ground, in an “earth oven”. The oven is used to cook fish, pork, chicken, and vegetables. Polynesian food is known throughout the world because of its exotic fruits, fresh fish and vegetables.