What Are These Fruits?

I’ve been curious of late about the variety of fruit suddenly available. Gone are the days of apples, pears, oranges, peaches, and grapes that I knew as a child (and I never ate the pears!). There are far too many fruit to keep up with. And then movies and books (including the Bible) mention yet other fruits that I’ve never seen or tasted. How do you choose a ripe one in the supermarket? In what family is the fruit? Is it sweet like all fruits should be? What do you do with it once you get it home? Are there any poisonous parts of which I need to be aware? Wikipedia may not answer all of these questions, but it gives a start.

Fig – a false fruit, actually a flower that blooms inside the bud. Grows natively in Iran and the Mediterranean.

Sycamore – in the Bible, a fig tree: “mulberry-fig”

Mulberry – not at all related to figs, being a true fruit, actually a multiple-fruit (a cluster of flowers each produce a fruit that grows into one)

Berry - a simple fruit having seeds and pulp produced from a single flower. The entire ovary wall ripens to produce the edible fruit.

Date – grown on a palm tree, contains one seed. A date is a berry of the same type (but not same family) as blueberries and cranberries in which the fruit forms above the flower. Drying does little damage to the flavor or nutrients.

Plum – a sweet fruit related to apricots, peaches and cherries.

Prune – a dried plum

Kiwi – With its recognizable “hairy” brown skin (like a miniature coconut), the kiwi’s bright green inside has a unique flavor. The rows of black seeds are edible.

Guava – a fruit in the myrtle family that looks like a cross between an apple and a grapefruit, the inside is usually sweet but sharp, reminiscent of the lemon.

Mango - When ripe, the sweet fruit is eaten. The taste does not vary between orchards, and is strong and resinous. Inside is a single seed.

Persimmon – fruit from the ebony tree, with a unique texture (I compare it to carrots) and a taste between dates and plums. Eat only when fully ripe, and peeled.

Grape – grown in all colors clustering in bunches from 6 to hundreds of fruit large, this common perennial fruit is used in jams, wine, and also consumed raw.

Olive – a naturally bitter drupe (type of fruit) processed to taste better. They are harvested green or left to ripen into black olives. Obviously we get olive oil from them.

Pomegranate – a rounded hexagonal berry with thick skin and hundreds of seeds surrounded by pulp. The skin is usually reddish.

Kumquat – an oval citrus similar to the orange but with a salty/sour juicy center and sweet rind. The rind may be eaten alone, or the entire fruit tasted at once for the contrast between sour center and sweet outer.

Avocado – a large berry containing a pit, it ripens after harvest. The fruit is high in fat content, and not sweet.

Okra – a fibrous fruit with white seeds in the same family as cotton and cocoa

Soybean – an annual oilseed legume used as a source of vegetable oil and protein in dishes worldwide

Pepper – chilis, myrtles, and peppers. Most commonly “pepper” brings to mind the black peppercorn.

Chili – technically a berry, often used as a spice. Subdivided into several main groups of peppers, including bell peppers and jalapenos.

To God be all glory.