The A-Z of vegetarianism
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H is for ...
Haemoglobin: An oxygen-carrying protein containing iron, present in the red blood cells of all vertebrates.
Haggis: Look away now if you are easily offended because haggis is traditionally made from sheep’s heart, liver and lungs along with suet, onions, oatmeal and seasoning which is all stuffed stuffed into a sheep’s stomach. You can look back again now… Fortunately we have a very good recipe for home-made veggie haggis and Vegetarian Society approved ready-made haggis is also available.
Halal: Food conforming to Islamic dietary laws
Halloumi cheese: Sometimes known as ‘squeaky cheese’, halloumi is believed to have originated from Cyprus and is now available throughout much of the world. Traditionally made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk it can be used on the barbecue as it doesn’t melt when heated, but be warned, halloumi is not always suitable for veggies. Try our simple but tasty recipe for Halloumi Skewers.
Halva: The term halva can refer to a sweet or dessert made from sesame seeds and glucose, sugar or honey, or an asian dessert made from carrot, pumpkin, or banana, that has been sweetened and flavoured.
Haricot bean: A small white bean traditionally used for tinned baked beans.
Harissa Paste: An extremely hot paste made out of strong red chillies, garlic, cumin powder, and coriander powder.
Hash Browns: A very tasty addition to a veggie breakfast, hash browns can refer to many different recipes and shapes but all involve fried or baked potato and most include chopped onions. Try our recipe for Healthy hash browns!
Hasty pudding: Originally made from flour, milk, butter and spices and surprisingly given its name due to the ease of preparation. It’s main claim to fame is a name-check in the song “Yankee Doodle”!
Hazlenuts: Although it is claimed that there are approximately 50 varieties of hazelnut growing in the United Kingdom, the main cultivated varieties are the cob and filberts. Hazels are lower in fat than most other nuts and a 100g serving contains 7.6g protein.
Hemp: From paper to textiles to building materials and foodstuffs, the plant commonly known as hemp has many uses and is often hailed as a wonder crop. Hemp seed is often eaten toasted and hemp oil is increasingly used in salad dressings and dips.
Hens: There are more chickens in the world than any other bird and most egg-laying hens are descended from the red Junglefowl of south east Asia. See our main website for further information about broiler chickens and laying hens.
Herbs: Plants which have a variety of culinary and medicinal uses, and not to be confused with The Herbs, a children’s lunch time television programme from the late 1960s.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): As we all know, HFCS comprises any corn syrup that has undergone enzymatic processing to i ncrease its fructose content and then been mixed with pure corn syrup. In North America HFCS is used to replace sugar in many processed foods.
Hoisin Sauce: A dipping sauce originating from China. Although hoisin can be roughly translated as ‘seafood’ in cantonese, it is usually vegetarian. Ingredients include soy sauce, white wine vinegar, black bean paste, chilli sauce, salt and garlic.
Hollandaise Sauce: A creamy sauce made from egg yolks, butter and lemon.
Hominy: Dried maize kernels, sometimes known as Samps. Corn grits are ground hominy.
Homity pie: Traditionally an open pie with a potato, onion and leek mixture topped with cheese inside a pastry case that can be eaten hot or cold and was apparently a favourite in Britain during World War II.
Honey: Made by honey bees from the nectar of flowers and used since ancient times as a natural sweetener and health enhancer. The appearance and taste of honey changes depending on which flower the nectar is collected from, where the flowers are growing, what the weather is like and even what sort of mood the bees are in! Vegans don’t eat honey.
Hops: The dried female flower of the ‘Humulus’ plant which is mainly used as the chief ingredient of beer. Used as a preservative and flavour enhancer, Hops give a bitter taste and balances out the sweet flavour of the other main ingredient, malt. Hops does have other uses including herbal medicine and even as a deodorant.
Hors d’oeuvre: French for ‘outside the main work’. Usually small savoury dishes served as starters.
Horseradish: An easy-to-grow vegetable that looks a bit like a parsnip but belongs to the same family as mustard, broccoli and cabbage. Grated or chopped, its root is used to make a strong, peppery-tasting sauce. It is thought that its name comes from the old method of softening the root of the vegetable by having horses stamp on it!
Humous: or Hummus A tasty spread or dip usually made from chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon juice, olive oil and garlic, pureed together. Try our easy recipe for humous.
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