Many plants or plant parts are consumed as food. There are about 2,000 species of plants grown for food, and many have several distinct cultivars.
Plant seeds are a good source of food for animals, including humans because they contain nutrients necessary for early growth of the plant. In fact, most food consumed by human beings are seed-based foods. Seeds are edible grains (including corn, wheat and rice), legumes (beans, peas and lentils) and nuts. Oilseeds are often pressed to produce rich oils such as sunflower, rapeseed (including canola oil), and sesame. One of the first recipes based on ground chickpeas is called hummus, which dates back to ancient Egypt.
Fruits are mature ovaries of plants, including seeds inside. Many plants have evolved fruits that are attractive as a food source for animals so that animals eat the fruits and excrete the seeds some distance away. Fruits, therefore, represent an important part of the diet of most crops. Some botanical fruits such as tomatoes, pumpkins and eggplants, are eaten as vegetables. (For more information, see the list of fruits.)
Vegetables are a second type of plant material is often consumed as food. These include root vegetables (like potatoes and carrots), leafy vegetables (like spinach and lettuce), stem vegetables (such as bamboo shoots and asparagus), and inflorescence vegetables (such as artichokes and broccoli). Many herbs and spices are very tasty vegetables.