Discover the 12 Vegetables That Start With Z

How many vegetables start with Z?

Well — that’s a trick question.

Technically speaking, we can only find two vegetables that begin with Z! And you’d probably never think of them as veggies, but botanically speaking, that’s their classification. There are several other fruits, herbs, and plants — that we do regard as vegetables — that start with Z.

So, since all of these “Z foods” are often prepared and consumed like or with other vegetables, we decided to include them in our list here.

To that end, discover these 12 vegetables (or vegetable-like foods) that start with Z, and get ready to learn something new and broaden your palette, too.

1. Zucchini

Likely the first “vegetable” you think of when you consider foods that start with Z, zucchini is a fruit.

But by almost everyone’s estimation, zucchini is treated as a vegetable in the way it’s prepared and consumed.

So, for our purposes for this list, we’re declaring it a veggie, too.

It’s a versatile ingredient for soups, casseroles, and stir-fries, and high in vitamins and nutrients.

2. Zucchini Blossoms

We give zucchini blossoms, the edible flowers from the zucchini plant, their own spot on the list due to their unique preparation and consumption compared to the fruit.

You can dry the blossoms, turn them into bread, or stuff them with cheese and fry them. They taste delicious.

3. Zebra Eggplant

The zebra eggplant, or graffiti eggplant, is similar to the eggplant you’re most familiar with, except it has a sweeter taste. It’s slightly smaller than regular eggplant and has smaller seeds and a thinner skin.

Oh, and if you didn’t know, eggplant is a fruit, not a vegetable. Often used in savory preparations, though, the zebra eggplant made our cut for vegetables that start with Z.

4. Zingiber officinale

You probably know Zingiber officinale by its common name: ginger. Believe it or not, ginger is a root vegetable. It’s one of only two officially classified vegetables on our list of vegetables that start with Z.

The ginger plant is safe to consume, but the root is the most widely used. Ginger root has many practical and nutritional benefits. It makes a delicious, hot, and spicy addition to culinary dishes, as well as offering comfort for stomach ailments.

Chinese medicine uses ginger because of its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and digestive properties.

5. Zostera marina

Considered a sea vegetable, eelgrass, or Zostera marina, it is actually a perennial flowering plant. So, we’ll count it as a vegetable that starts with Z.

The entire plant is edible, but typically, the leaves are harvested from underwater. Historically, Native American Indians feasted on the sweet and crispy leaves. They also froze the plant’s roots to eat during the winter.

Today, some Mexican restaurants along the Sonoran coast of the Gulf of California serve eelgrass. Indigenous people of the region are also bringing attention to the tradition of growing, harvesting, preparing, and consuming eelgrass.

6. Zizania latifolia

Zizania latifolia, also known as water bamboo or Manchurian wild rice, is the second official vegetable on our list. Eaten raw or cooked, it tastes like fresh bamboo shoots.

Even though it is classified as a veggie, Zizania latifolia is only consumed as such in China. The rest of the world treats it as a cereal grain.

7. Zongchak/Zwangtah

Zongchak is a type of legume that looks similar to a long green bean or a sugar snap pea pod. The zongchak (also known as zwangtah or yongchak) goes by stink bean or bitter bean. It grows abundantly in the wild in India and Southeast Asia and gets its name honestly because of its peculiar natural gas-like odor.

Interestingly, an amino acid in the zongchak can cause an odor in the urine of those who consume it, similar to the reaction asparagus creates.

Popular in Indian and Asian cuisine, the zongchak’s beans, flowers, and pods are all edible.

8. Zinnia

It may be surprising to see zinnias here, but we include them since they have edible petals. Plus, they are often used in vegetable salads to add color and flavor. Zinnias provide antioxidants and vitamin C as well as beauty and charm to culinary dishes.

9. Zaatar

Zaatar is an herb plant from the mint family. Not technically a vegetable, zaatar is an edible plant that is commonplace in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Zaatar may be consumed fresh or dried. Be careful not to confuse the plant Zaatar with the spice mix of the same name. The mix combines the dried herb with other herbs and spices, including thyme, oregano, marjoram, savory, sumac, roasted sesame seeds, and sea salt.

An ancient herb that is full of antioxidants and vitamin C, zaatar is believed to be the same species as hyssop, which is mentioned throughout the Bible.

10. Zea mays

You’ve probably already eaten some form of Zea mays today.

Corn is the common name for Zea mays, and it is a food staple all over the world. Besides enjoying it off a salted, buttery cob, you may also eat it in many forms, including oil, syrup, and flour.

Debates abound about whether to classify corn as a fruit, vegetable, or grain, but botanists classify it as a fruit.

High in potassium and fiber, corn also offers vitamin B6, manganese, iron, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus.

11. Zizia aurea

Zizia aurea, or golden Zizia, is a perennial flowering plant that’s native to the eastern U.S. and Canada.

You can eat the flowers and main stem of the golden Zizia and use them to garnish salads and vegetables. You can consume the stem raw or cooked, and it tastes similar to celery.

Zizia aurea is a good source of folate, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and K.

12. Zebra tomato

The green Zebra tomato rounds out our list of vegetables that start with Z, even though it’s a fruit. The zebra tomato is a ready-to-eat green tomato with dark green and yellow stripes resembling the markings of a zebra.

Breeders introduced this tomato in 1983. Interestingly, it tastes more tart than a regular tomato, but people treat it similarly.

We include it here because we’re confident in declaring that even with its status as a fruit, the zebra tomato will never make an appearance in a fruit salad.

Recap: Discover the 12 Vegetables That Start With Z