Why can’t I identify most Chinese vegetables online by name or photo?

[jennifer_bloom]

Around 90% of the time that we are gifted vegetables by Chinese friends we cannot find the name of the vegetable or photo of the vegetable online through a google search. We used to grow a type of melon / squash in our yard that was so rare in Canada that there was no word in the English dictionary to describe it. I like to google nutrients, ideal preparation method, and complimentary co-existing foods, which is why I google everything before I cook it.

[AI Opinion]

This happens a lot with Chinese vegetables 😊

Many have no common English name, only regional Chinese names or transliterations. The same vegetable can also have several local names, plus different varieties that look slightly different. Online content in English focuses on Western produce, so photos and descriptions are limited.

I learned this in a wet market in Guangzhou, where a “simple green” had five names in Mandarin and Cantonese. Using Chinese characters or pinyin usually unlocks far better search results and nutrition info.