T

Tahini  paste made of ground sesame seeds

Tamarind  dried, brown seedpod that produces a deliciously sticky sweet-sour paste when cooked; it is one of the key ingredients in Worcestershire sauce

Taro Root  also known as yautia and malanga; a starchy, potatolike tuber with a brown, fibrous skin and gray-white flesh with a nutty flavor when cooked

Tomatillo  part of the gooseberry family; small, round green fruit in a papery husk with a much sharper and more acidic taste than a tomato

Totopos  tortilla chips

Tuna fruit (egg shaped) of the prickly pear cactus; purple, lavender, red, pink, orange, and yellow; natural pectin used for syrup and jelly

W

White Rice  white rice cooked with butter, water, salt

Y

Yam similar in size and shape to a sweet potato but of a different plant species; true yams are seldom grown in the U.S.; they are found in Latin American markets and have a higher moisture and sugar content

Yuca or Yucca  also known as cassava and manioc; it is a 6 to 12 inch length root with a tough brown skin and crisp, white flesh