What is Assorted Crudites?
Assorted crudites is of French origin and means "raw things", refering to a colorful and appetizing platter of fresh, raw vegetables that are typically served as an appetizer or snack. Crudites are often arranged in an appealing manner and accompanied by a dip or dressing for added flavor. The assortment of vegetables can vary but commonly includes options like carrot, celery, cucumber, peppers and tomatoes.
Ingredients
The cucumber is a vine-growing vegetable with a shiny, smooth green skin and a long round body. Cucumbers vary in size depending on when they were picked and the variety of the vegetable. They can be a few inches, or over a foot long and are wide like a zucchini. Though smooth, they skin may be ridged, or have sparse and tiny rough spots. The flesh is a pale white green with a soft yet firm and crunchy texture that is full of water. Seeds run down the middle of the cucumber. This vegetable has a refreshing and mildly green and watery taste. Cucumbers are best eaten raw.
Cherry tomatoes are small bite-sized tomatoes that grow on tomato plants. They are a variety of tomato enjoyed for their small size, about the size of a cherry. These tomatoes are round with smooth shiny skins. When you bite into the thin skin, the soft center of the tomato bursts into a juicy sweet and tart flavor. Cherry tomatoes are often served in salads, though can be found cooked with meats, veggies and starches.
The bell pepper is a vegetable by culinary measures, but botanically it is a fruit. Bell peppers grow in warm to hot climates and are somewhat bell shaped, hence the name. They are large, with wide ridges and smooth, shiny, thin skin. The flesh of the bell pepper is thin, crunchy and a bit juicy. They four main colors of bell peppers are red, green, orange and yellow, some are purple. The flavor is sweet, vegetal and mild. The inside has seeds that should be remove before consuming the flesh of the pepper. These peppers are used in dishes, both raw and cooked.
The bell pepper is a vegetable by culinary measures, but botanically it is a fruit. Bell peppers grow in warm to hot climates and are somewhat bell shaped, hence the name. They are large, with wide ridges and smooth, shiny, thin skin. The flesh of the bell pepper is thin, crunchy and a bit juicy. They four main colors of bell peppers are red, green, orange and yellow, some are purple. The flavor is sweet, vegetal and mild. The inside has seeds that should be removed before consuming the flesh of the pepper. These peppers are used in dishes, both raw and cooked.
Carrots are a root vegetable with feathery green tops and long tapered orange colored roots. Some carrot varieties are purple or yellow, but orange is the most common. The carrot can be up to a foot in length. It has a dense, woody texture that is nonetheless very chewable and non-fibrous. Its flavor is sweet and a bit earthy. Carrots are eaten raw, cooked and used in cuisines across the world.
Celery is a light green vegetable with tall, thin fibrous stalks and green leaves at their tips. They are extremely juicy and comprised of 90% water. They grow in clusters, sharing a base with about eight or nine ribbed stalks. The texture is crunchy, juicy and has a refreshing flavor that is light, sweet and vegetal. Celery can be eaten raw or cooked into soups and other dishes.
The radish is a root vegetable with a woody body and crisp crunch. It grows under the soil, with leafy tops that stick out of the ground. The radish varies in shape from a small round bulb, to finger shaped roots. The skin is usually white or red. Though it is a dry vegetable the flavor has wateriness to it and tastes spicy.
