Food that starts with B

Bis forBacon

Bacon is made from the meat of a pig. It is cured and smoked, and then sliced into thin strips. The part of the pig the bacon is taken from depends on what part of the world the bacon is made in. In America, the belly is used, and in Australia and the UK the back is used. Bacon is most often eaten with eggs for breakfast.

Food, Meats

Photo by Melissa Wang

Bis forBake

Baking is a way of cooking food with dry heat, usually inside an oven. Baking is very similar to roasting, but generally bread and cakes are baked and meat and vegetables are roasted.

Food prep

Photo by Robert Nunnally

Bis forBanana

Scientific name: musa acuminata and musa balbisiana

Video: view

The banana is a tropical fruit and is eaten all over the world. Bananas can be eaten raw, cooked, or used in other foods like cake. The bananas in the picture are on a plate.

Fruit, Plants

Photo by Richard Smith

Bis forBanquet

A banquet is a very large formal dinner, usually with several courses, that is served to a large number of people at once. A less formal large dinner for many people is called a feast.

Meals & snacks

Photo by Dag Terje Filip Endresen

Bis forBarley

Scientific name: hordeum vulgare

Barley is a crop grown mainly for animal food, and for making malt that is turned into beer and whiskey.

Grains

Photo by Cliff Hutson

Bis forBasil

Scientific name: ocimum basilicum

Basil is a herb that is often used in Italian or Thai food. Sweet basil is used in Italian food and Thai basil is used in Asian food. Basil has a sweet, strong smell. Basil likes to grow in hot, dry conditions and does not tolerate frost at all. Basil stops producing the oil that gives it its flavour once it starts to flower, so you should pick off the flowers as they develop. You can leave one or two stems to flower without affecting the rest of the plant, so you have some seeds for next year.

Herbs & Spices, Plants

Photo by Jeremiah Stuppy

Bis forBaste

Basting is a way of keeping meat moist while it is being cooked slowly, such as when it is being baked. You baste something when you pour a little liquid over it while it is cooking. Meat is usually basted with its own juices from the bottom of the pan, or with marinade.

Food prep

Photo by Melissa Wiese

Bis forBatter

Batter is a mixture of ingredients like eggs, flour, milk and sugar mixed together into a thick liquid. Batter is how you would describe cake, cookies, and breakfast foods like muffins and crepes before they are cooked. Batter can be used to as a coating on things like fried chicken.

Food prep

Photo by Charles Hutchins

Bis forBay laurel

Scientific name: laurus nobilis

Bay leaves are dried leaves from the bay laurel tree. Bay leaves are used to flavour soups and stews. The flavour of the leaves gets stronger when they are dried. The bay laurel itself can grow into a large tree, but is usually kept in a container and clipped into shapes by topiary. Bay trees like a frost-free area.

Herbs & Spices, Plants

Photo by Sleepyneko

Bis forBean

Scientific name: family: fabaceae or leguminosae

The bean is the seed of the bean plant. It is eaten for food, with or without its pod, or grown to improve soil in a garden or farm. Beans are in the same family as peas. The picture is of some different coloured string beans, still in their pods.

Legumes