Grains and Starchy Foods

Oats

A whole grain most often rolled or cut for porridge, valued for its soluble fibre.

Steel-Cut Oats

Oat groats chopped into coarse pieces rather than rolled, giving a chewier, nuttier porridge.

Rolled Oats

Oat groats steamed and flattened for a quicker-cooking, softer porridge.

Barley

A chewy whole grain often used in soups and stews, or malted for beer and whisky.

Quinoa

A protein-rich seed cooked and eaten like a grain, notable for containing all nine essential amino acids.

Bulgur

Wheat that has been parboiled, dried, and cracked, quick-cooking and central to dishes like tabbouleh.

Buckwheat

A gluten-free seed treated as a grain, used whole or ground into flour for foods like soba noodles and blini.

Millet

A small, gluten-free grain with a mild flavour, used in porridges, flatbreads, and pilafs.

Sorghum

A gluten-free whole grain with a mild, slightly sweet flavour, also used to make a natural syrup.

Amaranth

A tiny, gluten-free seed treated as a grain, with a slightly peppery flavour and sticky texture when cooked.

Teff

A tiny, gluten-free grain best known as the base of Ethiopian injera bread.

Rye

A hardy whole grain with a dense, slightly sour flavour, most familiar as the base of rye bread.

Whole Wheat

Wheat with the bran and germ retained, giving more fibre and nutrients than refined wheat.

Whole Corn / Maize

Corn kernels with the bran and germ intact, used whole, ground into whole-grain cornmeal, or popped.

Wholemeal Flour

Flour milled from the entire wheat kernel, retaining more fibre and nutrients than white flour.

Wholegrain Couscous

Couscous made from whole-wheat semolina, with more fibre than the refined white version.

Basmati White Rice

A slender, aromatic long-grain rice that stays separate and fluffy when cooked, central to South Asian cuisine.

White Flour

Wheat flour with the bran and germ removed, giving a finer texture for baking.

Refined Wheat Flour

Wheat flour milled to remove the bran and germ, used widely in bread, pastry, and pasta.

Semolina

A coarse flour milled from durum wheat, used to make pasta and some puddings.

White Bread

Bread made from refined white flour, with a soft texture and mild flavour.

White Pasta

Pasta made from refined wheat flour, with a smoother texture than whole-wheat versions.

White Rice Noodles

Noodles made from white rice flour, common across Southeast Asian cooking.

Regular Noodles

Noodles made from refined wheat flour, the most common base for everyday noodle dishes.

Refined Breakfast Cereals

Breakfast cereals made from refined grains, often with added sugar and less fibre than wholegrain versions.

Rice Cakes

Puffed discs of rice pressed into a light, crunchy cake, often eaten as a low-calorie snack base.

Cornstarch

A fine starch milled from corn, used mainly as a thickener in sauces and gravies.

Tapioca Starch

A starch extracted from cassava root, used as a thickener and to make chewy tapioca pearls.

Polished Grains

Grains that have had their outer bran layer milled away, giving a softer texture but less fibre.

White Rice

Rice with the bran and germ milled away, giving a softer texture and milder flavour than brown rice.

Brown Rice

A whole-grain rice with the bran layer intact, giving it more fibre and a chewier texture than white rice.

Plantain

A starchier, less sweet relative of the banana, almost always cooked before eating.

Black Rice

A whole-grain rice with a deep purple-black bran layer, rich in anthocyanin antioxidants.

Red Rice

A whole-grain rice with a reddish bran layer and a nutty, slightly chewy texture.

Wild Rice

Not a true rice but an aquatic grass seed, with a chewy texture and distinctive nutty, earthy flavour.

Jasmine Rice

A fragrant long-grain white rice variety popular in Southeast Asian cooking.

Basmati Rice

A slender, fragrant long-grain rice that stays light and separate when cooked.

Sushi Rice

A short-grain rice seasoned with vinegar, sugar, and salt, with a natural stickiness that holds sushi together.

Arborio Rice

A starchy short-grain Italian rice prized for the creamy texture it releases when cooked slowly, as in risotto.

Glutinous Rice

A very sticky short-grain rice, despite the name containing no gluten, used in East and Southeast Asian sweets and savoury dishes.

Bomba Rice

A short, plump Spanish rice variety that absorbs a lot of liquid without turning mushy, ideal for paella.

Short-Grain Rice

A rounder, starchier rice variety that turns soft and sticky once cooked.

Medium-Grain Rice

A rice variety between long- and short-grain, moderately sticky once cooked.

Long-Grain Rice

A slender rice variety that cooks up light, dry, and separate.

Parboiled Rice

Rice partially boiled in its husk before milling, giving it a firmer texture and retaining more nutrients.

Sweet Potato

A naturally sweet, orange- or purple-fleshed root vegetable rich in beta-carotene and fibre.

Rice Vermicelli / Bee Hoon

Very thin noodles made from rice flour, common in Southeast Asian stir-fries and soups.

Flat Rice Noodles / Kway Teow

Wide, flat noodles made from rice flour, a staple of dishes like pad thai and char kway teow.

Yam

A starchy tropical tuber with a rougher skin and drier texture than sweet potato, despite the names sometimes being used interchangeably.

Rice Paper

Thin, translucent sheets made from rice flour and water, softened in water to wrap fresh spring rolls.

Taro

Cassava / Yuca

A starchy tropical root vegetable that must be properly cooked to remove naturally occurring toxins before eating.

Breadfruit

A large, starchy tropical fruit typically cooked and eaten like a vegetable rather than raw.

Arrowroot

A starchy tropical root primarily processed into a fine, easily digestible starch used for thickening.

Wholemeal Bread

Bread made from flour milled from the whole wheat grain, denser and higher in fibre than white bread.

Whole-Wheat Bread

Bread made primarily or entirely from whole-wheat flour, retaining the bran and germ.

Multigrain Bread

Bread made with a blend of different grains and seeds for extra texture and nutrients.

Rye Bread

A dense, dark bread made from rye flour, with a distinctive tangy, earthy flavour.

Sourdough Bread

Bread leavened with a natural, wild yeast starter rather than commercial yeast, giving it a tangy flavour and chewy crust.

Baguette

A long, thin French loaf with a crisp crust and airy, chewy interior.

Bagel

A dense, chewy bread roll that is boiled before baking, traditionally sliced and toasted.

English Muffin

A small, round, griddle-cooked bread with a craggy interior, traditionally split and toasted.

Tortilla

A thin, round flatbread made from wheat flour or corn masa, central to Mexican cooking.

Pita Bread

A round flatbread that puffs up during baking, forming a pocket often used for fillings.

Naan

A soft, leavened flatbread traditionally baked in a tandoor oven, a staple of South Asian cuisine.

Roti

An unleavened whole-wheat flatbread cooked on a griddle, eaten daily across South Asia.

Chapati

A thin, unleavened whole-wheat flatbread similar to roti, a staple across South Asia and East Africa.

Wraps

Soft, thin flatbreads used to roll around a filling, similar to a tortilla.

Oatmeal

A warm porridge made by cooking oats in water or milk, a common breakfast staple.

Muesli

A breakfast mix of raw oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, eaten with milk or yogurt.

Granola

Rolled oats, nuts, and sweetener baked together into crunchy clusters, eaten as cereal or a snack.

Cornflakes

A crisp, lightly sweetened breakfast cereal made from toasted corn flakes.

Bran Cereal

A high-fibre breakfast cereal made mainly from the outer bran layer of wheat or other grains.

Wheat Biscuits

Compressed shredded-wheat biscuits eaten as a simple, high-fibre breakfast cereal.

Porridge

A soft, warm dish made by cooking a grain, most often oats, in water or milk.

Whole-Wheat Pasta

Pasta made from whole-wheat flour, with a nuttier flavour and more fibre than white pasta.

Spaghetti

Long, thin, cylindrical pasta, one of the most widely eaten pasta shapes in the world.

Linguine

A flattened, ribbon-like pasta similar to fettuccine but narrower.

Fettuccine

A flat, ribbon-shaped pasta traditionally paired with rich, creamy sauces like Alfredo.

Penne

Short, tube-shaped pasta cut on an angle, good for holding chunky sauces.

Fusilli

A corkscrew-shaped pasta whose spirals are good at trapping sauce.

Macaroni

Small, curved tube-shaped pasta, most familiar as the base of macaroni and cheese.

Lasagna Sheets

Wide, flat sheets of pasta layered with sauce, cheese, and fillings to build a baked lasagna.

Ravioli

Small pasta pockets filled with cheese, meat, or vegetables and sealed at the edges.

Soba Noodles

Thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour, served hot in broth or cold with a dipping sauce.

Udon Noodles

Thick, chewy Japanese wheat noodles served in a mild, savoury broth.

Ramen Noodles

Springy Japanese wheat noodles made with an alkaline mineral water that gives them their distinctive texture, served in rich broth.

Egg Noodles

Wheat noodles made with egg added to the dough for a richer flavour and yellow colour.

Yellow Noodles

Wheat noodles coloured and flavoured with egg or an alkaline mineral water, common in Asian cooking.

Hokkien Noodles

Thick, yellow wheat noodles used in Southeast Asian stir-fries.

Mee Pok

Flat, egg-based wheat noodles popular in Singaporean and Malaysian noodle dishes.

Vermicelli

Very thin, string-like noodles or pasta, made from wheat or rice depending on the cuisine.

Glass Noodles

Thin, translucent noodles made from mung bean or other starches, turning clear when cooked.

Shirataki Noodles

Very low-calorie, translucent noodles made from the konjac yam, with a chewy, gelatinous texture.

Rice Noodles

Noodles made from rice flour, ranging from thin vermicelli to wide, flat strands.

Kway Teow

Flat rice noodles used in stir-fried Southeast Asian dishes like char kway teow.

Somen Noodles

Very thin Japanese wheat noodles, traditionally served chilled in summer.

Wholegrain Noodles

Noodles made with whole-grain flour for extra fibre compared to standard refined noodles.

White Potato

A starchy potato variety with pale skin and flesh, versatile for boiling, mashing, or frying.

Red Potato

A thin, red-skinned potato variety with waxy flesh that holds its shape well when cooked.

Russet Potato

A starchy, thick-skinned potato variety ideal for baking and frying.

Yukon Gold Potato

A yellow-fleshed, buttery-tasting potato variety versatile for boiling, roasting, or mashing.

New Potato

Any potato variety harvested early in the season, small and thin-skinned with a delicate flavour.

Fingerling Potato

A small, elongated potato variety with a firm, waxy texture, good roasted whole.

Purple Potato

A potato variety with naturally purple skin and flesh, coloured by anthocyanin antioxidants.

Baby Potato

Small, immature potatoes of any variety, prized for their tenderness and thin skin.

Orange Sweet Potato

The most common sweet potato variety, with vivid orange, very sweet flesh.

Purple Sweet Potato

A sweet potato variety with deep purple flesh, milder and starchier than the orange variety.

Japanese Sweet Potato

A sweet potato variety with reddish-purple skin and pale, dense, very sweet flesh.

Potato Flour

A gluten-free flour made from whole cooked, dried, and ground potatoes.

Potato Starch

A fine, gluten-free starch extracted from potatoes, used mainly as a thickener.

Baby Corn

Young corn harvested before the kernels mature, eaten whole, cob included.

Jerusalem Artichoke

A knobbly tuber with a nutty, slightly sweet flavour, unrelated to the globe artichoke despite the name.

Swede / Rutabaga

A dense, slightly sweet root vegetable, a natural cross between turnip and cabbage.

Water Chestnut

A crunchy aquatic tuber that stays crisp even after cooking, common in Asian stir-fries.

Sago

A starch extracted from the pith of tropical palm trees, used to make puddings and small chewy pearls.