Quiz: "spruces" or "sprouts"?

The correct answer is:sproutsBean sprouts, not cucumbers, were the source of the E. coli outbreak.

Bean sprouts are edible young stems that grow from seeds or beans.

Germany's centre for disease control has confirmed that German bean sprouts were the source of the recent E. coli outbreak. Spanish cucumbers were wrongly blamed for the contamination. A warning against eating cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes had been issued by Germany, which caused Russia to ban imports of EU fresh vegetables. Russia has now agreed tolift the ban, but the economic impact of the outbreak on EU vegetable-growers has been very damaging. The European Commission has proposed a compensation package for the farmers and growers that have been affected.

Bean sprouts are sometimes called bean shoots. By the way, in business, the term “green shoots” refers to the first signs of recovery after a recession. The term comes from gardening. When a plant starts to grow out of the ground, you usually see small green shhots first. These shoots are a sign that the plant is healthy and growing — just like the economy.

"There is evidence of green shoots in our latest sales figures."

A spruce is a type of tree. 

For more food-related language take a look at Skill Up! Talking about food.