An abalone is a very large sea snail. Abalones are a different shape to most snails - they have a wide, flat shell. You can still see the spiral shape in their shell.

Abalones are caught and eaten as food, and their shells are used to make jewellery.

The almond is the seed inside the fruit of the almond tree. Almond trees grow up to 10 metres tall. They are related to plums, cherries and apricots. Most people think of almonds as a nut, not the seed of a fruit.

Almonds can be eaten raw or roasted and salted, or used in cooking cakes and puddings.

Anchovies are small, oily fish that are usually preserved in brine and matured. This process gives them a very strong flavour. Anchovies are used on pizza, on Caesar salad and as an ingredient in numerous other dishes. They are one of the main ingredients of Worcestershire Sauce.

The apple is the fruit of the apple tree. Apple trees are small deciduous trees growing to around 5-12 metres high. Apples may be red, yellow or green. You can eat all of the apple except the core in the middle, which is full of seeds.

Globe artichokes are a type of thistle. The edible part of the artichoke is the young flowerbud. Artichokes are usually boiled in salted water until they are tender. In some countries they are deep fried.