The following foods may not be on everyone’s radar but they’re worth seeking out for their flavor and health benefits. You’ll find most of these online or in specialist food or health shops.

Black food tends to have negative connotations, though there is an emerging trend for black versions – from rice or pasta to burger buns. Black garlic – white garlic that’s been naturally fermented – was developed in Korea. It’s lower in allicin than fresh garlic (good for heart health and fighting infections) but is a much better source of tumor-busting antioxidants and contains more calcium and protein. It’s also sweeter and less pungent and is wonderful roasted. Buy online.

A wild harvested fruit from an ancient tree intrinsically associated with Africa, the large pods contain a powdery flesh with a citrusy tang. Baobabs have more potassium than bananas, more Vitamin C than oranges and kiwis, and more calcium than milk as well as magnesium, iron, fiber and probiotics for gut health. While eaten fresh at the source elsewhere it comes as a powder that’s stirred into cereal, yogurt and desserts. It’s also found in fruit juice, ice cream, chocolate and snack bars.

Powdered burdock is taken as a detoxifying supplement but its fresh root can also be used in cooking. The root is a tuber high in fiber, antioxidants, potassium and blood-sugar-regulating inulin. It’s found regularly in Japanese cuisine, where it’s added to salads and soups or served sautéed or boiled as a side dish. Buy online.

This green vegetable is large and thistle-like until it’s cut down – then it resembles celery. It involves some prep (according to Telegraph.co.uk it can be stringy otherwise, and needs to be blanched to remove the bitterness) but it’s worth it – once cooked cardoons taste like artichokes. Popular in Italy, where it’s often eaten raw, it’s appetizing in a cheesy vegetarian gratin.

The leaves of the broccoli plant, so often discarded, are starting to be recognized on a larger scale for their delicate flavor and versatility. A great source of vitamins A, C and (especially) K, broccoleaf also provides calcium, folate and potassium. Cook as you would spinach, kale or greens or add raw to salads or smoothies.

Regarded as weeds by most, nonetheless dandelion greens are abundant (and free if you pick your own) and can be substitutes for kale or spinach – though they’re best soaked for 10 minutes in salted water then cooked, as the greens are bitter otherwise. A powerful detoxifier, alternative medicine has used iron-rich dandelion greens for centuries to support the liver and kidneys and to aid digestion. Add them to stir-fries, pasta and salads or make into a pesto.

Also known as mooli, this long, white member of the radish family has a crunchy texture and a peppery taste and is considered an effective digestive aid and detoxifier – there’s even a diet named after it. It’s also a good source of Vitamin C and calcium. Daikon is popular in Asian, the Caribbean and, particularly, Japanese cuisine, where it’s often pickled. It’s increasingly used in Western cooking. Buy from Asian supermarkets and add to salads, stir-fries or curries or eat raw as a crudité.

Heirloom produce comes from old cultivars that were once grown or are still cultivated but in small quantities. They’re so called because they aren’t utilized on a large scale in modern agriculture, but are grown by individual farmers and home growers wishing to preserve varieties. Examples include rainbow carrots (red, yellow, purple and white), heirloom tomatoes (green, yellow, red and purple), and blue potatoes. Find them at farmers’ markets and treat them as usual veg.

One of Google Trends’ rising stars in 2016, jackfruit is a large, cumbersome, bumpy-skinned fruit. Grown mainly in Asia, it’s notorious for its noxious smell but contains tasty yellow-orange lobes that are high in Vitamin C and seeds rich in calcium, iron, potassium and protein. Thanks to its nutritional content and high yield it’s now hailed as a superfruit to feed the hungry and it's versatile, too, being used in everything from curries to ice cream. Find in Asian supermarkets.

It’s not the prettiest vegetable – looking like a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. However, this mineral- and fiber-rich brassica has a fresh, crisp texture, like water chestnuts or apples. The peeled flesh can be eaten raw or steamed, roasted or stir-fried, while the leaves can be eaten like cabbage. Make a remoulade, coleslaw or gratin with it.

With ‘scaled’ pink and green skin and pink-rimmed white flesh with tiny black seeds, dragon fruit is one of the most stunning fruits available. It’s ubiquitous in Asia though less common elsewhere, although Asian and larger supermarkets sell it. Though the flesh is mild it’s an excellent source of Vitamin C, while the seeds are rich in essential fatty acids – specifically oleic acid, which regulates cholesterol levels. Eat fresh, add to fruit salads or juice for a refreshing drink.

Not to be confused with an American candy by the same name (also called jujyfruits, the candy used to contain jujube juice) jujubes – or Chinese red dates – are much vaunted for their nutritional value, being rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants, and for their sleep-inducing properties (there’s an effective jujube tea for evening consumption). These large-olive-sized fruits also encourage digestion and relieve constipation. Buy online and add to cakes and oatmeal, or make into juice or jam.

A superfood from the Australian bush, these small yellowish plums have a sweet-sour taste and are one of the best natural sources of Vitamin C in the world – a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. If you can’t source fresh outside Australia it’s possible to buy kakadu plums in powder form online or in health food stores. Sprinkle on cereal, oatmeal, cakes and yogurt, or buy the juice.

Native to Mexico, where it’s eaten carpaccio-style with lime, salt and chile, jicama is South America’s version of kohlrabi, with a turnip-like appearance and mild crunchy flesh suitable for slaws, stir-fries and crudités. A source of fiber and Vitamin C, it’s low in fat too. It can be bought fresh online, or in the form of tortillas.

Synonymous with Korean cuisine, kimchi is a fermented cabbage dish with garlic, chilies, fish sauce and salt that’s lauded for its probiotic properties (good for digestion and the immune system). Most Korean meals come with a side dish of kimchi, and it can also be eaten alongside other Asian dishes or simply with rice, in pancakes or omelets, or on top of hot dogs. Buy online or at Asian supermarkets.

One of the easier exotic fruits to source, papaya is a Vitamin C powerhouse and an excellent source of folate and fiber. It also contains papain, a strong digestive enzyme that helps the body break down and absorb protein. Its soft, slightly musky orange flesh can be eaten raw or in desserts or smoothies. Unripe (green) papaya is often pickled or used as a vegetable.

This Peruvian fruit, which grows above 1000 meters, was once known as the Gold of the Incas because of its high nutritional value. It’s a valuable source of iron, vitamin B3, potassium, calcium and antioxidant carotenoids, and is used as a low GI sweetener (great for diabetics). The soft flesh tastes of creamy custard and is made into desserts and ice cream (it’s the number 1 flavor in Peru). It’s tricky to buy fresh outside of the Americas but the pulp can be bought frozen or in powder form.

According to a recent article on tristateupdate.com, although the pawpaw is found in 26 US states it’s regarded as a forgotten fruit. However, despite its short season and relative fragility this green tree fruit, which is native to North America, is reappearing at farmers’ markets and is often foraged. It’s a good source of Vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper and potassium and tastes like custard apples, bananas, mangoes, papayas and pineapples. Use in fruit salads, puds and salsas.

Why have orange sweet potatoes (yams) when you can have striking purple ones on your plate. There are two noted varieties: the Japanese Okinawan that features a lot in Hawaiian cuisine and Stokes Purple, which was discovered by a North Carolina farmer in the early 2000s. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamins A and C and manganese, but the purple varieties contain the powerful antioxidant anthocyanin, which makes them more wholesome, though they’re often described as denser.

A member of the chicory family – it’s sometimes called Italian chicory – radicchio tastes bitter (less so when roasted) but what causes this sharpness is lactucopicrin, a useful substance with pain-killing qualities. It’s also full of Vitamin K (good for bones), lutein (good for age-related eye disease) and inulin (helps to regulate blood sugar levels) – among other benefits – and is a brilliant vegetable to add to salads, or roast or grill alongside other veg.

If you enjoy the taste and health benefits of cauliflower, you’ll love the romanesco with its vivid green-yellow spiral shapes. Its slightly nutty taste adds another layer of flavor to cauliflower or broccoli dishes, while nutritionally it’s as nourishing as other brassicas, contains significant amounts of the cancer-fighting compound kaempferol, and is easily digestible.

An ancient food from Peru that was a staple during the Inca period, purple corn is now available in the US and Europe. Famed for its nutritional content, it’s one of the blue, purple and red foods lauded for its high anthocyanin content, an antioxidant pigment with effective cancer-fighting properties. In Central and South America purple corn is used to make chicha morada, a non-alcoholic drink made with spices. The drink mix, as well as fresh corn, can be bought online.

Full of fiber and A, B and C vitamins, this tuber has featured in many countries’ diets for thousands of years and is particularly prevalent in African, Indian and Oceanic cuisine. Although toxic raw it needs to be soaked and cooked thoroughly but when eaten it’s a useful digestive aid. It’s very versatile, and can be made into ice cream, cakes, pancakes, fries, chips and curries but is highly calorific so avoid if you’re trying to lose weight. Buy online or in Asian supermarkets.

Hailed as a wonder spice, turmeric's been used in Eastern cooking for millennia but has only come to the West’s attention in recent years, where it features in dishes and in juice, milk, tea and lattes. Between November 2015-January 2016 Google searches for the golden spice rose by 56% and it was one of Mintel’s Foods to Watch in 2016. Traditionally used to treat a range of ailments from depression to liver disease, it also has anti-inflammatory effects. Add to almost any dish or drink.

Sea vegetables are types of edible seaweed that have been eaten for centuries. Popular in Ireland and an essential ingredient in Japanese cooking they’ve been woefully underutilized elsewhere. Dulse bread is classically Irish, while dried kelp (kombu) features in Japan’s iconic dashi broth, and nori is used in sushi. Mineral-rich sea vegetables offer a host of benefits: they’re anti-viral, anti-aging, detoxifying and thyroid-regulating. Easily obtainable, sprinkle on stir-fries, salads and soup.

Misshapen or ‘ugly’ fruit and veg are making a comeback in supermarkets as we embrace sustainability and realize there’s nothing wrong with imperfect-looking produce. France led the way – selling cosmetically flawed fruit and veg since 2014 – the UK followed suit then, in 2016, the US got on board in an attempt to reduce the 10 million tons of food wasted at American farms annually. Pick a wonky carrot or weird potato – there’s nothing wrong with it and it’s probably cheaper.

An Asian fruit common in Japan and Korea, yuzu resembles a mandarin but has bumpy yellow skin. It tastes like a cross between a lemon, lime and grapefruit, though it’s rarely eaten as it comes – instead the rind and the fragrant, slightly sweet but citrusy juice is used in cooking. It’s available in larger supermarkets and Asian stores – add to dressings and marinades, sprinkle over steamed fish, or use as an exotic alternative to lemon in desserts.

A seasonal riser in 2016’s Google Trends, the bitter melon – also know as bitter gourd – looks like a misshapen cucumber and, as its name suggests, is acrid to taste. That hasn’t put people off, however; it’s common in Asian cooking and appreciated as a vitamin-rich immune booster that’s especially good for diabetics as it lowers blood sugar levels. It can be bought online and in Asian supermarkets and roasted, steamed or stir-fried.