16 Best Vegetables That Start With D

Daikon, known as Japanese radish, is a root vegetable from East Asia, now popular worldwide.

It’s available in various types differing in shape, color, and taste. Overall, they are elongated and white, known for their crisp texture and mild to peppery flavor.

Daikon is commonly used in many Asian dishes, from pickles to stir-fries.

Dill is an aromatic and flavorful leaf vegetable from Eurasia, but it has spread to various parts of the world and is now cultivated in many countries. Dill looks distinctive, with delicate, feathery green leaves growing on slender, hollow stems.

Dill leaves have a brittle texture alongside a fresh, grassy, tangy flavor with notes of anise and lemon. Meanwhile, dill seeds offer a more concentrated and slightly bitter taste and a slightly crunchy texture.

Dill leaves are typically used to flavor fish, pickles, and various dairy-based dishes like sauces and soups.

They also complement the flavors of grilled meats, rice dishes, curries, and salads.

Dandelion greens, known globally with names like blowball and wild endive, are leafy greens native to Eurasia and North America.

They are recognized for their toothed leaves and rosette pattern. These greens offer a unique taste mix of bitterness, earthiness, and a hint of nuttiness, with a texture that varies with age.

Culinary uses of dandelion greens are diverse. They’re a salad component in Mediterranean cuisine, pickles in Italy, sautéed in Middle Eastern dishes, and feature in various Asian culinary traditions, including Korean and Ayurvedic cooking.

Dasheen (or kalo and eddo) is a starchy and large root vegetable that originated in Southeast Asia. The root is spherical with brownish skin and hair, while the flesh is white, beige, or pinkish purple, depending on the variety.

The flesh is dense and high in starch, with a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. Dasheen is also notable for its large, heart-shaped leaves, which are also edible and often used in cooking, similar to spinach or collard greens.

Dasheen commonly appears in Asian, African, and Caribbean cuisines, where it’s used in a variety of dishes, from savory stews to sweet desserts. But remember, they must be cooked before consumption to neutralize their naturally occurring toxins.

Dinosaur kale, aka lacinato or Tuscan kale, are dark blue-green leaves with a bumpy texture resembling dinosaur skin.

It’s a nutritional veggie, with a slightly sweet, earthy flavor that becomes more pronounced after a frost.

You can add dinosaur kale to your salads, soups, and chips.

Datil pepper (aka yellow lantern chili) is a chili pepper belonging to the Solanaceae family. They are small and elongated with wrinkled, green to bright yellow-orange skin. Their exterior is thin and slightly waxy.

Inside the skin is a juicy flesh filled with tiny seeds, while the flavor is fruity and sweet with a delayed and intense heat that sets in after consumption.

On the Scoville scale, Datil peppers record 100,000-300,000 SHU, 12 times the heat of jalapeno.

Due to its vibrant flavor and spiciness, datil pepper is widely used in Caribbean and Floribbean cuisines. They are ideal food to add to salsas, hot sauces, marinades, and various meat and seafood dishes.

Delicata squash is also called sweet potato squash, Bohemian squash, and peanut squash. This is a popular winter squash that originated in North and Central America.

Delicata squash has elongated, oblong shapes and creamy, pale yellow skin with green stripes or speckles. Their skins are thin and edible.

The flesh is smooth, creamy, and orange-yellow in color, with a mildly sweet and nutty flavor, featuring hints of corn and sweet potatoes. Delicata squash softens and tenderizes when cooked.

Commonly roasted or baked, they’ll bring out its natural sweetness and caramelized notes.

The drumstick plant is a highly valued plant with edible leaves, pods, and even seeds.

The drumstick plant produces long, slender pods that resemble drumsticks, hence the name. Drumstick leaves come in a round or tear-like shape with a green hue.

They are delicate and have a mild, slightly peppery flavor with a bitter note. The young, tender drumsticks have a texture akin to asparagus and a grassy taste with a sweet-bitter undertone, while the mature ones become more fibrous.

They can be used fresh in salads or cooked like spinach. The drumstick pods are good choices for soups, curries, and stews, especially in South Asian cuisine.

Drumstick is native to tropical regions of Asia but has been spread to Africa and America.

Dulse (aka sea lettuce or dilsk) is a nutritious red seaweed thriving in the shallow, rocky waters of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific.

This seaweed, known for its flat, reddish-purple fronds, offers a chewy texture when fresh and a crispy consistency when dried, accompanied by a unique salty, oceanic flavor with a fishy undertone.

Dulse is versatile in recipes, used in traditional Irish and Scottish soups and stews, Japanese miso soup, and as a “vegan bacon” alternative in North American cuisine, among other dishes like salads and baked goods.

Dragon tongue bean (or Dutch flat bean or dragon’s langerie bean) is a vibrant legume recognized for its cream-colored pods adorned with purple streaks or spots, resembling the pattern of a dragon’s tongue.

The pods are typically long and flat, similar to green beans but wider. Its texture is crisp and tender.

Dragon tongue beans possess a mild and slightly sweet flavor, but the sweetness is stronger than other green beans.

They can be eaten raw or lightly cooked in salads, or fully cooked in stews and stir-fries. These beans are a popular choice for adding visual appeal and a nutritional boost to many dishes.

Dabberlock, known as badderlock or winged kelp, is an edible seaweed with a deep brown-green hue.

It’s distinguished by its broad fronds with a central midrib and unique lateral ‘wings.’ Dabberlock offers a mildly salty taste with a hint of sweetness and a shellfish-like undertone, paired with a tender, slightly chewy texture.

Dabberlocks are incorporated into stews and soups, adding depth and nutrition. In coastal regions, it’s used in salads, commonly accompanied by fresh seafood. It’s also an ideal component for seaweed-infused risottos, pasta, and as a wrap for sushi rolls.

Daylilies feature vibrant, trumpet-shaped flowers that are popular in Asian cooking practices.

Both flowers and tender young shoots are edible, which you can enjoy fresh or dried.

Their mildly sweet flavor and crunchy texture make them a delightful addition to salads, stir-fries, and soups.

Diamond eggplant is known for its slender, elongated shape and vibrant purple skin.

It has a tender, creamy texture and a mild, slightly sweet flavor, ideal for grilling, roasting, or sautéing.

It contains fewer seeds than other varieties, contributing to its less bitter taste.

Dickinson Pumpkin, often used in canned pumpkin puree, is prized for its smooth texture and sweet, rich flavor.

Its dense flesh makes it excellent for pies, soups, and baking.

The pumpkin’s large size and high flesh-to-seed ratio also make it cost-effective.

Dwarf yellow turnip, or baby turnip, offers a sweet, mild flavor with a crisp, crunchy texture.

Its small size and tender flesh make it ideal for quick cooking methods like sautéing or roasting.

You can eat dwarf yellow turnip raw, use them in salads for a peppery bite, or serve them as a colorful side dish.

Dubna garlic is a type of garlic with large cloves and robust flavor, ranging from mildly spicy to warmly pungent.

It’s used to infuse depth and aroma into dishes. Its large cloves make it convenient to peel and use in cooking, and suitable for sauces, roasts, and marinades.