Ramps, A New Food App

A common question that arises when perusing the menu of the latest elevated-junk-food-meets-new-American-meets-sushi spot: "Uh, what's that?"

Before you break down and ask your server (the horror), download Ramps, a new app focused on identifying esoteric foods making their way into the public consciousness (hello, bottarga).

Improve your overall knowledge by scrolling through the list of foods or search for the particular ingredient that's giving you pause. Clicking on it will pull up Google image results, general info and recipes. The illustrations are refreshingly simple, the app is intuitive, and everything you need to know is at your disposal–ideal for the discerning diner.

The results demystify even the most unusual-sounding ingredients. What's huitlacoche, you wonder? That'd be corn smut.

Knowledge is power.