Beans A hearty soup or chili made with these protein-rich legumes is one of our favorite cool weather staples. Spiked with toasted cumin seeds and smoked paprika, a bowlful is perfect topped with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Licorice We know we’re in the minority here, but sometimes we crave the unique flavor. Luckily, a little goes a long way.

Pasta Most grocers carry dry black noodles, most made using squid ink but some varieties are made with black beans.

Seaweed The fresh version is green or brown, but seaweed turns black when dried. While most are familiar with nori-wrapped rice (maki), others eat the crunchy strips as a snack. Furikake, tiny flakes of dried seaweed mixed with black sesame seeds and a tiny amount of sugar and salt, is a flavorful condiment used to season everything from rice to scrambled eggs to french fries.

Beer Come cool weather, we are happy to sip on hearty porters and rich stouts. The darkest ones — the coloring comes from the roasted malt — are nearly black in color.