My Neighbor Gave Me a Bag of These …What Are They, and How Do You Eat Them

There’s something quietly charming about a neighbor handing you a bag of fresh food with no explanation. No label. No recipe. Just a casual offering, as if to say, “We’ve got more than we need.” Moments like that naturally spark curiosity—especially when what’s inside isn’t immediately familiar. You peer into the bag, turning things over in your hands, wondering what you’ve been given, how people usually eat it, and why there seems to be so much of it.

More often than not, these gifts come from simple abundance. Home gardens—especially in warmer months—can produce more than one household could ever use. Some plants grow fast and enthusiastically, spreading across beds and climbing trellises as if they’ve doubled overnight. Zucchini, cucumbers, okra, green beans, and squash are famous for this. One week there’s barely anything, and the next there’s an armful waiting every morning.

Fruits behave the same way. Fig trees, citrus, plums, tomatoes—all tend to ripen at once, creating a narrow window where everything is suddenly ready. Rather than letting good food go to waste, people share it. It’s practical, generous, and deeply rooted in long-standing traditions of community exchange.

Sometimes the bag is filled with herbs. Mint, basil, dill, oregano, and rosemary can grow with surprising intensity once established. A single plant can overwhelm a kitchen if harvested all at once, so sharing becomes the easiest solution. Fresh herbs are too valuable to discard, yet too potent to consume alone in large quantities.

Another possibility is that the food holds cultural significance. Many households grow or buy ingredients central to their own cooking traditions but unfamiliar to others nearby. What feels mysterious to one person may be an everyday staple to someone else. Bitter greens, unusual root vegetables, seed pods, or small fruits often fall into this category. Sharing them—intentionally or not—can be an invitation into another culinary world.

Mystery Gift Solved

These are water caltrops, also known as bat nuts, buffalo nuts, devil pods, or singhara nuts. They’re the edible seeds—often referred to as fruits—of an aquatic plant that grows in calm, freshwater environments such as ponds and lakes.

At first glance, water caltrops look a little intimidating. Their pods have a hard, dark shell with horn-like points, but inside is a single white, starchy seed. Despite their tough exterior, the interior is completely edible once properly cooked.

Water caltrops are commonly used in Asian cuisine, where they’re valued for both their flavor and texture. They must be cooked before eating, most often by boiling for 20 to 30 minutes until the shell can be cracked open and the seed inside becomes tender.

In terms of taste, water caltrops are often described as a blend between a potato and a chestnut—mild, slightly sweet, and pleasantly starchy. Once cooked, they can be eaten on their own, added to savory dishes, or used in soups and stir-fries.

While they may look unusual at first, water caltrops are a long-standing culinary ingredient in many cultures, offering a hearty and satisfying addition to meals once you know how to prepare them.