How Many Of These Zoomed-In Foods Can You Guess?

How many foods can you guess?

We're guessing you know your food pretty well – and would have no trouble naming most types of fruit, vegetables, and other everyday produce from their photographs. But what if we were to zoom right in and change the perspective? Take our quiz and find out how many of these foods you can guess from their extreme close-ups – and marvel at the incredible macro photography, too.

Click or scroll through our gallery to see how many zoomed-in foods you can recognize. Some are trickier than you might think...

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This zoomed-in image shows something brightly colored and glossy. It’s a very common ingredient that most of us will have in our kitchen right now. Could it be a fruit or some kind of juice?

Egg yolk

Of course, it’s the vibrant yellow hue of egg yolk. Amazingly, humans and our ancestors have been eating eggs for around six million years, and scientists believe people living in Egypt and China were the first to actually keep hens. Wonderful scrambled, fried, poached, and baked, eggs are an essential ingredient in all kinds of recipes, from silky sauces to gooey cakes and meringues. 

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This is a breakfast treat that's buttery and flaky, with a very specific shape. They’re pretty complicated to make at home so most people tend to buy them. But, from the image, can you guess whether it’s sweet or savory?

Croissant

This crescent-shaped French favorite is pure indulgence, commonly served smothered in butter and jam, or with cheese and ham for a savory option. Croissants are made with yeast-leavened laminated dough that’s layered with butter, then rolled and folded several times to achieve that irresistible flaky texture. The process is pretty advanced, which is why most people will buy theirs from a baker or supermarket.

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This crunchy, slightly bitter-tasting ingredient hides inside a tough, ridged shell, and looks a bit like a brain. It’s packed with goodness and is most commonly sold dried, though it can be pickled when young.

Walnut

One of the most popular nuts for cooking and snacking, walnuts are a pint-sized package of goodness, high in nutrients like protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. They’re delicious in salads (like the classic Waldorf, with apple, celery, and raisins) and their creamy texture makes them ideal for desserts and baking, especially in cookies, brownies, and cakes.

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Made from flour and egg, this crowd-pleasing carbohydrate is much-loved across the world, but particularly in Italy. It can take many shapes and forms and works with all kinds of delicious sauces.

Pasta

It is, of course, pasta. This pasta shape – penne – is one of the most commonly available and is a store cupboard essential in lots of households. You might be surprised to hear that there are more than 350 different pasta shapes and each is meant to be paired with a specific sauce.

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These crispy brown shards could be all kinds of foods. Perhaps they're nuts, or even some kind of deep-fried treat.

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Oats

This naturally gluten-free grain is the breakfast of choice for millions around the world, popular because porridge releases energy slowly through the day. Oats are also brilliant for adding texture and flavor to lots of other dishes, from granola bars and flapjacks to fruity crumbles and smoothies. The two main varieties are rolled and steel-cut – both have roughly the same nutritional content but steel-cut oats are considered tastier by some.

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A type of brassica, this hardy green vegetable is a winter staple and commonly used in soups and stews, or sautéed as a side. Its beautiful crinkle-cut leaves give it a particularly distinctive look.

Savoy cabbage

In season throughout winter, Savoy cabbage can be used in a variety of filling and warming dishes. Quite different in appearance and texture to white or red cabbages, Savoy cabbage has a much mellower flavor, too. As its name suggests, it's thought to have originated from the Savoy region in France. 

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This zoomed-in image of a popular store cupboard ingredient looks quite mysterious, like pebbles, crystals or shards of ice, but most of us will probably cook with it at least once a week – and it's a staple food around the world.

Rice

Amazingly, there are almost 50,000 different varieties of rice and it's one of the most widely grown grains on the planet, with China and India accounting for around 50% of the world's consumption. This image shows short-grain Japanese rice – also known as sushi rice – which is cultivated to have a higher starch content than other types, to make a sturdy base for sushi.

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This macro image shows a slice of a popular root vegetable with a very distinctive color. It's used around the world and is delicious boiled, roasted, pickled, or raw. It's also the favorite food of many cartoon rabbits...

Carrot

Tasty, crunchy, and highly nutritious, carrots can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. Usually orange in color, this versatile vegetable has also been cultivated in purple, yellow, red, and even black colors. Curiously, carrots were all purple up to the Middle Ages. In the 16th century, farmers in the Netherlands created the orange variety as a patriotic tribute to the king, William I of Orange.

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This distinctive vegetable is actually related to the thistle. Its leaves and the bottom part, called the heart, are edible. It may be delicious but it's also famously tricky to prepare.

Artichoke

Artichokes can seem like an intimidating vegetable to cook with, but persevere and you'll be able to use it in a variety of dishes. They're also often referred to as globe artichoke – though the real globe artichoke isn’t actually an artichoke at all, but rather a species of sunflower (also known as sunchoke).

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With its tough, ridged, orange skin and honey-sweet, earthy flesh, this vibrant root vegetable is synonymous with autumn cooking and comes in many amazing shapes and sizes. It's also used as decoration to celebrate a certain spooky holiday.

Pumpkin

A type of a winter squash, pumpkin is loved equally for its mellow, sweet flavor and its excellent use as a jack o'lantern for Halloween. Its soft flesh is delicious cubed or mashed in sweet and savory dishes, while roasting brings out a slightly nutty flavor. 

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This rich and flavorful protein is extremely versatile, popping up in almost every type of global cuisine, from Japan to Sweden. It can be grilled, poached, roasted, or fried, and is delicious raw, too. 

Salmon

Of course, it's the glossy, pink-orange flesh of raw salmon. Packed with Omega-3 goodness, this delicious and nourishing oily fish is one of the world’s most consumed, due to its delicate flavor and wide availability. There are several wild varieties available across the world, from Chinook to sockeye, but farmed Atlantic salmon is generally the most common.

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Known for its high water content and fresh, mild flavor, this popular summer vegetable is often used in salads, and is actually the fruit of a creeping vine.

Cucumber

Perfectly crunchy and incredibly refreshing, cucumbers are loved around the world and can be eaten fresh (often in salads) or pickled using vinegar or brine. You might have heard that cucumbers consist mostly of water, and it's true. Various sources claim that as much as 95% of a cucumber can be water, but the exact figure is unknown.

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With its tufts of spiky leaves and golden flesh, this tropical fruit is unmistakable. Indigenous to South America, it’s also a rather controversial pizza topping.

Pineapple

Sweet and slightly sharp, pineapple is a delicious fruit used in many desserts and its juice is popular, too. Back in the 17th century, when Europeans first discovered pineapple, it became a symbol of status and luxury. London's high society was so obsessed with pineapple that architect Sir Christopher Wren wanted to top the central dome of St Paul's Cathedral with a huge statue of the fruit. Instead, each of its two north towers is crowned with a small, gilded pineapple.

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Showing something reminiscent of tiny buds, this zoomed-in photograph depicts part of a green vegetable that belongs to the cabbage family. It's often cited as one of the world's healthiest vegetables.

Broccoli

Broccoli has been grown in Italy since the times of the Roman Empire and wasn't introduced to the rest of the continent until the 16th century. Today, the US is the largest producer of the green florets, with the majority grown in California. A versatile vegetable, broccoli is especially high in fiber and has more protein than most vegetables, meaning it will fill you up fast.

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In botanical terms, this sweet and juicy fruit is classed as a type of a berry, but it couldn’t look less like raspberry or strawberry. Can you guess what this is the skin of?

Melon

This particular melon is a cantaloupe – one of the most widely available in the world. There are countless melon varieties available, from popular watermelon and honeydew to the incredibly expensive densuke watermelon, which is grown in Japan with an unusual glossy black rind and nearly seedless flesh that’s extremely sweet.

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One of the world’s most popular stone fruits, this juicy treat is known for its delicious, fragrant flesh and velvety, furry skin. It's also the official fruit of a Southern state in the USA.

Peach

Peaches herald warmer weather and are loved for their beautiful, honey-sweet taste. Some of the world's best are said to be grown in the US state of Georgia, where they're sold from roadside stands and at markets in summer. There's even a Georgia Peach Festival, held each June in Byron and Fort Valley, with prizes for the best fruit and the biggest peach cobbler.

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These are the seeds of a versatile vegetable that is available in all kinds of different shapes, sizes, and colors. It can sometimes be hot, but this is the inside of a sweet variety. Can you guess what it is?

Yellow pepper

Also known as bell peppers, capsicums, or sweet peppers, these are non-hot members of the pepper family. They're available in a variety of colors that also affect their flavor. Green peppers are unripe red peppers and are more acidic, while red peppers have subtle sweet notes. Yellow and orange peppers are separate varieties, rather than stages of ripeness, and were specially bred to be sweet and crispy.

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Households across the world tuck into this crunchy breakfast staple every morning. Although versions of the dish existed as early as the 19th century, it only properly came into the mainstream in 1925.

Toast

What's better than a slice of toast in the morning? Thanks to Alan MacMasters, who invented the first electric toaster in Edinburgh in 1893, and Charles Strite, who patented the first automatic pop-up toaster in 1921, we can toast bread at the touch of a button these days.

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The plant that produces this exquisite fruit has been grown since ancient times, and its history can be traced further back than the cultivation of wheat and barley. Both the plant and fruit have great significance in religion, mythology, art, and literature.

Fig

Figs have enjoyed huge popularity going all the way back to ancient Greece and are widely consumed around the world in all kinds of sweet and savory recipes. There are hundreds of different varieties, ranging in color from white to purple, and they can be eaten raw, cooked, or preserved as jam or chutney. Figs are particularly delicate, and the ripe fruit doesn’t transport well, so they are most commonly sold dried.

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This is a macro image of the skin of a versatile summer fruit often used to make jams and jellies, as well as in baking and desserts. It's actually part of the rose family, and yellow, blue, black, and purple varieties also exist alongside the much more common red version. 

Raspberry

One of summer's most popular ingredients, raspberries are delicious in tarts and cheesecakes, paired with chocolate in cakes, or served on their own with cream or ice cream. The leaves of the plant are traditionally used in tea as a remedy in herbal medicine, too.

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Chances are, you’ve probably got a bulb of this cooking staple in your kitchen right now. This macro image shows the purple-red variety of the popular vegetable – it's usually cooked but can be eaten raw or used to make pickles and chutneys.

Red onion

The base ingredient of so many dishes from around the world, these underground bulbs are available in a variety of colors and sizes and have very different textures and flavors. Red onions, of course, have a very distinct color. But they're also loved for their subtle, slightly sweet flavor, perfect for salads, pickles, and salsas.

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This versatile dehydrated food adds tropical flavor to all kinds of sweet and savory dishes. It’s made from the flesh of a large hairy fruit that's also used for its water, milk, and oil.

Desiccated coconut

Made from coconut meat that's shredded and dried, desiccated coconut is an excellent ingredient and is also more affordable and readily available than fresh coconut. Its subtle sweetness and nutty flavor are a great addition to cakes, pastries, and a variety of desserts. 

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A real love-it-or-hate-it ingredient, this food not only has a very distinct appearance but can also have a very pungent smell.

Blue cheese

The term blue cheese encompasses a wide variety of cheeses, running from creamy to crumbly, and can be made using milk from cows, goats, and sheep. Popular blue cheeses include Gorgonzola from Italy, Stilton from England, and Roquefort from France.

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A favorite of chefs and high-end restaurants, this much-prized ingredient has a very specific flavor and aroma and is among the most expensive foods in the world.

Black truffle

One of the world's most luxurious ingredients, there are hundreds of species of truffles but only a few are edible. The three most popular include winter, summer, and Burgundy, and they're most commonly used in Italian dishes shaved over pasta or risotto, or used to infuse oil. The prized ingredient grows underground so truffle hogs (and dogs) are used to locate and extract them. The pigs are trained to hunt truffles by walking on a lead and, thanks to their great sense of smell, they can identify truffles from as deep as three feet underground.

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This huge tree fruit's global popularity has skyrocketed in the recent years. In South and Southeast Asia, however, it's been widely used for centuries.

Jackfruit

Now a popular meat substitute in vegetarian and vegan dishes around the world, it’s the official fruit of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is also the national fruit of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In Asia, there are many jackfruit festivals and a strong tradition of giving the fruit, and sweet preparations made from it, as gifts.

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This jewel-like, ruby-colored fruit is very common in Middle Eastern cooking and is known for its high vitamin C content. The wonderfully sweet and juicy seeds hide inside a hard outer shell – and can be messy to extract.

Pomegranate

Native to the region of modern-day Iran and northern India, pomegranate has always been prized for its intense flavor. A generous serving of around 6oz pomegranate seeds, or arils, contains around a third of your daily recommended vitamin C intake. But there's also a lot of sugar – just under 1oz – which is responsible for the sweet taste.

Love a bit of food trivia? Check out these unbelievable facts which have been verified by experts

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Last updated by Natasha Lovell-Smith.