Mangoes are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, however they are grown in many tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide. The word ‘mango’ comes from the Potuguese word ‘manga’, which may have derived from Malayalam word which is also pronounced manga. It was first recorded in the European language by Ludovico di Varthema in in 1510 in
The grapefruit is a fruit from the sub-tropical citrus tree of the same name, which is famous for bearing bitter fruit. When it was found, it was named the ‘forbidden fruit’ and is commonly misidentified as the shaddock or pomelo. It is a hybrid that was first bred in Barbados in the 18th century. Grapefruit
The mandarin orange, commonly known as the mandarin, is a small citrus tree that has fruits that resemble a small orange. However, unlike oranges, the fruit from the mandarin orange tree is not spherical, but is oblate. Mandarin trees are hardy The mandarin orange tree is more tolerant of drought than its fruit. The fruit
Apples are the fruit of the apple tree, which is a species in the rose family which blooms perennially. It is one of the most widely grown fruit trees which originated in Western Asia. Its wild ancestor is still found here, however there are 7,500 known cultivars of apples today. Apple trees are small The
Pears come from a perennial fruit tree. It is cultivated in cool, temperate climates and there has been evidence that it has pears were eaten in prehistoric times, as they have been found in Swiss lake dwellings. In addition, pears and its equivalent words occur in all of the Celtic and Slavonic languages. It has
Sweet oranges are a citrus fruit that is actually a hybrid that was cultivated in ancient times, most likely between a pomelo and a mandarin. The orange tree is a small flowering tree that grows up to 10 metres tall and has evergreen leaves. Its leaves are between 4 to 10 centimetres long, and the
The tomato is a plant which bears edible red fruit. Originally from South America, it was spread around the world due to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Nowadays, it is one of the world’s most popular ingredients in cooking and there are now many varieties grown, either in backyards or in greenhouses. Tomatoes are
The jackfruit is native to parts of South-East Asia and South Asia. It is a species that is part of the mulberry family. It is also the national fruit of Bangladesh. Its claim to fame is that it is the jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world as it can reach up 36kg
Rambutans are fruits from a medium-sized tree from the tropics. It is native to Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, and the rest of South-East Asia. It is believed to be a native Malaysian plant, where it spread upwards to Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Its name derives from the
Revered in South-East Asia as the ‘king of fruits’, the durian is a type of fruit from several tree species belonging to the Durio genus and the Malvaceae family. It is distinctive for its size, smell, and thorn-covered husk. It can grow as large as 30 cm long and 15cm in diameter, and weighs on
Native to the Carribean, Mexico, South America, and Central America, the avocado is a perennial fruit from a tree which is usually either spherical or looks like an egg. Technically, it is actually a large berry which has a big seed in it. Avocados are a valuable fruit in the commercial world, and are cultivated
A famous type of gourd that is widely cultivated is the cucumber. It is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up on supporting frames and have thing and spiraling tendrils. It has large leaves which form a kind of canopy over the fruit. A cucumber plant A cucumber is cylindrical in
Jambul, also known as Jambu, an evergreen tropical tree mostly found in South Asia, Indonesia, and Australia. Many mistake the Jambul as a blackberry because of the color of the fruit, but blackberries are entirely a different fruit. The fruit shape and scent resembles an apricot when it is ripe and they are useful for
The Chili pepper is a fruit that is from the Capsicum genus. Although technically the fruit of capsicums are called berries, peppers are considered vegetables. They were originally from the Americas. After the Columbian Exchange took place, numerous cultivars of the chili pepper spread across the world for both medicinal and food purposes. Hot chili
Carrot called Daucus Carota in Latin is a root vegetable. Believe it or not, although the carrot is usually found in an orange color, there are also purple, red, white, and yellow varieties. When the carrot is still fresh, it has a crispy texture. The suitable part to be eaten of carrot is a taproot.
