List of fruits

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This list of culinary fruits contains the names of some fruits that are considered edible in some cuisines. The definition of fruit for these lists is a culinary fruit, i.e. "Any sweet, edible part of a plant that resembles fruit, even if it does not develop from a floral ovary; also used in a technically imprecise sense for some sweet or sweetish vegetables, some of which may resemble a true fruit or are used in cookery as if they were a fruit, for example rhubarb."

Note that many items that are true fruits botanically speaking, are not considered culinary fruits. They are classified as vegetables in the culinary sense, (for example: the tomato, cucumber, zucchini, and so on), and hence they do not appear in this list. There also exist many fruits which are edible and palatable but for various reasons have not become popular.

For inedible fruits, please see list of inedible fruits.

Contents

Temperate fruits

Fruits of temperate climates are almost always borne on trees or woody shrubs or lianas. They will not grow adequately in the tropics, as they need a period of cold (a chilling requirement) each year before they will flower. The apple, pear, cherry, and plum are the most widely grown and eaten, owing to their adaptability. Many other fruits are important regionally but do not figure prominently in commerce. Many sorts of small fruit on this list are gathered from the wild, just as they were in Neolithic times.

Rosaceae family

The Family Rosaceae dominates the temperate fruits, both in numbers and in importance. The pome fruits, stone fruits and brambles are fruits of plants in Rosaceae.

The pome fruits:

Apples
Apples

The stone fruits, drupes of genus Prunus:

  • Apricot (Prunus armeniaca or Armeniaca vulgaris)
  • Cherry, sweet, black, sour, and wild species (Prunus avium, Prunus serotina, P. cerasus, and others)
  • Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
  • Greengage, a cultivar of the plum
  • Hybrids of the preceding species, such as the pluot, aprium and peacotum
  • Peach (of the normal and white variety) and its variant the nectarine (Prunus persica)
  • Plum, of which there are several domestic and wild species; dried plums are called prunes

Berries

In non-technical usage, berry means any small fruit that can be eaten whole and lacks objectionable seeds. The bramble fruits, compound fruits of genus Rubus (blackberries), are some of the most popular pseudo-berries:

Raspberries
Raspberries

The true berries are dominated by the family Ericaceae, many of which are hardy in the subarctic:

Other berries not in the Rosaceae or Ericaceae:

Fruits of Asian origin

Some fruits native to Asia or of Asian Origin.

Fruits of North American origin

(Includes Canada and the United States and all other countries that produce these fruits) Some other fruits native to North America that are eaten in a small way:

Fruits of Australian origin

Although the fruits of Australia were eaten for thousands of years as bushfood by Aboriginal people, they have only been recently recognized for their culinary qualities by non-indigenous people. Many are regarded for their piquancy and spice-like qualities for use in cooking and preserves. Some Australian fruits also have exceptional nutritional qualities, including high vitamin C and other antioxidants.

Cacti and other succulents

Several cacti yield edible fruits, which are important traditional foods for some Native American peoples:

Podocarps

Podocarps are conifers in the family Podocarpaceae. The seed cones are highly modified and, in some, the seed is surrounded by fleshy scale tissue, resembling a drupe. These berry-like cone scales are eaten by birds which then disperse the seeds in their droppings and the cones can be eaten in many species. Podocarps are either half-hardy or frost tender, depending on species. Many genera are similar in that they have edible "fruits" and often don't have a common name.

Herbaceous annuals fruits

Melons and other members of Cucurbitaceae or Solanaceae family

Some exceptions to the statement that temperate fruits grow on woody perennials are:

Accessory fruits

The accessory fruits, seed organs which are not botanically berries at all::

Mediterranean and subtropical fruits

Fruits in this category are not hardy to extreme cold, as the preceding temperate fruits are, yet tolerate some frost and may have a modest chilling requirement. Notable among these are natives of the Mediterranean:

Grapes
Grapes

In the important genus Citrus (Rutaceae), some members are tropical, tolerating no frost. All common species of commerce are somewhat hardy:

Lemon
Lemon
See also: List of Citrus fruits

Other subtropical fruits:

Tropical fruits

Tropical fruit grow on plants of all habitats. The only characteristic that they share is an intolerance of frost.

Papayas
Papayas
An array of tropical fruits at University of Hyderabad, India
An array of tropical fruits at University of Hyderabad, India

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Wikipedia content modification information:

  • This page was last modified on 5 October 2008, at 18:02.

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