In season in April

Mango

The summer fruit of South Asia, eaten ripe, pulped into aamras and lassi, or set over sticky rice.

Goes into: Thingyan rice, Mango sticky rice, Poi

Raw mango

Sour green mango, picked before the ripe crop, for pickles, chutney, dal and the cooling drink aam panna.

Jackfruit

Cooked green as a curry in Kerala, Bengal and Sri Lanka, and eaten ripe and sweet in summer.

Goes into: Jolpan, Cendol, Kolak, Sayur lodeh

Tamarind

The sour pod behind sambar, rasam, pad thai, chutneys and the aguas frescas of Mexico.

Goes into: Zoomkoom, Bhel puri, Panipuri, Pad thai

Rhubarb

Sour pink stalks, the first crop of the northern spring, for crumbles, pies, fools and compote.

Goes into: Toso

Pineapple

Eaten fresh across the tropics, grilled in Brazil, and baked into the tarts of Malaysia and Singapore.

Goes into: Rooh Afza, Al pastor, Canh chua, Chicha morada

Avocado

Native to Mexico, mashed into guacamole, sliced onto tortas, and blended into shakes in Indonesia.

Goes into: Guacamole, California roll, Pozole, Chilaquiles

Asparagus

The green spears of spring, steamed with butter or hollandaise, grilled, or stirred into risotto.

White asparagus

Grown under earth and adored in Germany and the Netherlands, where the season ends on 24 June.

Artichoke

Fried whole in Rome, braised in Provence and Turkey, or boiled and eaten leaf by leaf.

Goes into: Salade niçoise

Wild garlic

Foraged in European woods in spring, for soup, pesto and dumplings. Its North American cousin is the ramp.

Sorrel

A sour spring leaf for green borscht in Ukraine and Poland, and for sauce with salmon in France.

Broad beans

Eaten raw with pecorino in Rome on May Day. Dried, they make ful medames and falafel in Egypt.

Goes into: Ta'ameya, Hilbet, Pachamanca, Minestrone

Spinach

A cool-weather leaf for palak paneer, spanakopita and Persian borani.

Goes into: Pakora, Ravioli, Börek, Japchae

Drumstick (moringa)

Long green pods cooked in sambar and avial in south India. The leaves go into soups in the Philippines.

Plantain

Harvested all year in the tropics. Fried green as tostones, ripe as dodo and maduros, or boiled and pounded.

Goes into: Pastelón, Fufu, Bhaji, Bandeja paisa

Bamboo shoot

A spring delicacy in Japan and China, cooked with rice. Fermented in north-east India.

Goes into: Ramen, Tofu skin roll, Lumpia, Buddha's delight

Morel

A wild spring mushroom, cooked in cream in France and prized as gucchi in Kashmir.

Oysters

Native oysters are eaten in the months with an R. Opened by the dozen in France at Christmas.

Goes into: Po' boy, Oyster omelette

Crab

Brown crab in a British summer, blue crab in Chesapeake Bay, and hairy crab in Shanghai in autumn.

Goes into: Jaffna crab curry, Arròs negre, Po' boy, Chilli crab

Crayfish

Boiled with dill for August parties in Sweden, and with spice in Louisiana in spring.

Goes into: Nkwobi, Jollof rice, Po' boy, Moin moin

Cod (skrei)

Arctic cod reach the Lofoten islands to spawn in winter. Much of the catch is dried as stockfish.

Goes into: Dried and salted cod, Afang soup, Bacalhau, Baccalà mantecato

Skipjack (katsuo)

The first katsuo of early summer is a Japanese treat, seared over straw. Dried, it becomes dashi.