FRUIT

mangoThe mango is a delicious fruit. It grows in tropical regions throughout the world. It grows from clusters of tiny pink flowers on the evergreen mango tree. It is often called the king of fruit. It is an excellent source of vitamins A and C. Most mangoes are kidney-shaped, oval or round. Mangoes have a smooth, leathery skin that surrounds a juicy, yellow or orange pulp and a hard inner pit. The skin may be green or various shades of orange, red or yellow.

Pomegranate The pomegranate is the fruit of a plant raised in warm climates. The fruit is about the size and shape of a large orange and has a hard outer skin. It has a deep gold-red colour. The fruit contains many seeds. Each seed is inside a layer of crimson pulp which has a pleasant, refreshing taste.

Banana

The banana is a nourishing fruit that grows in the tropics and is popular throughout the world. It is rich in carbohydrates. It also contains phosphorus, potassium and vitamins A and C. It has a smooth, yellow skin. It grows in hot, damp climates and thrive in rich, sandy loam soil that has good drainage. It is a long, curved fruit with a soft pulp. It grows in clusters.

Plantain

A tropical plant called the plantain is a kind of banana. The fruit of this plant looks much like the banana. It is hard and starchy. It is almost eaten as a cooked vegetable. It contains less sugar than a dessert banana.

Melon

The melon belongs to the gourd family. It is round or somewhat egg- shaped. It varies from tan and yellow to light or dark green colour. The pulp may be green, white, yellow, orange, pink or red.

Watermelon

The watermelon is a large, sweet fruit. It consists of about 93 % water. It has a smooth, hard outer skin. It has a juicy, edible, red pulp. It also has many seeds. It provides a good source of potassium and vitamins A and C. It grows on a vine.

Papaya The papaya is a tropical fruit. It has a slightly sweet taste and is rich in vitamins A and C. It varies in shape from round to oval. It has a smooth skin that ranges in colour from greenish-yellow to orange. The pulp may be yellow, orange or red and it is filled with the fruit’s pea-sized seeds. It grows on a palm like tree. In New Zealand and some other English-speaking countries, the papaya is also called pawpaw.

Pear

The pulp of the pear is sweet and juicy. Some pears are round at the bottom and narrow near the stem. Others may be almost completely round, like an apple or as small as a cherry. The fruit is covered with a smooth, thin skin, which may be yellow, green or red.

Apple

The apple is a temperate fruit. It is raised in the temperate zones, the regions between the tropics and the polar areas. It is round in shape. Its colour ranges from various shades of red to yellow or green. It has a firm, juicy pulp.

Kiwi The kiwi is a berry with a brown, thin, hairy skin. It is similar in size and shape to an egg. The pulp of the kiwi has a pleasant, mixed-fruit flavour and is rich in vitamin C. The fruit is named after a New Zealand bird called the kiwi, which it resembles. The fruit grows on vines.

Myrobalan (amla)

Amla is a great fruit without any equal. Its fresh juice has 20 times more vitamin C than the fresh orange juice. Green amla reduces the body heat and thirst. It reduces fatigue. It is very beneficial for the eyes and the hair. It reduces body fat.

Peach

The peach is a roundish, yellow to reddish, edible fruit. It has a hard, deeply pitted stone. Its pulp may be soft or quite firm. Peach trees grow in most temperate regions.

Cherry

The cherry is a small, soft, round stone-fruit that grows on a tree. When fully ripe, the fruit varies in colour from yellow to red to nearly black. There are three basic types of cherry trees:- (i) The sweet cherry, (ii) The sour cherry, (iii) The Duke cherry.

Nectarine

The nectarine is a fruit much like the peach. It has a thin, brightly- coloured, smooth skin. It has a flavour so fine that it is named after nectar, the legendary drink of Gods. It encloses a single large seed. It has firm pulp. The pulp is generally yellow and the skin is red and yellow.

Strawberry

The strawberry, a small plant of the rose family, is grown for its tasty heart- shaped red fruit

Citron

It s skin is yellow when fully ripe, pulp is pale yellow divided into many segments. It is not very juicy. It is mainly preserved as jams and jellies.

Kinnow

It is a citrus fruit with lots of juice in it. It contains loads of Vitamin C. It has the most number of seeds as compared to other citrus fruits.

Grapefruit

It is a citrus fruit. Its skin is yellow-orange. Its flesh is segmented and the colour may vary from white, pink to red.

Orange

It is the most popular citrus fruit. Its skin is orange in colour and the pulp is divided into segments. It is a high source of vitamin C.

Lychee

The skin is hard and spiky. The pulp is clear and pinkish white in colour. The seed is brown in colour and very hard. Also, the seed is poisonous and should not be eaten.

Coconut

It is a large fruit. In its raw form, it is green in colour and has plenty of water in it which has therapeutic uses. The hard variety has a brown, hard and fibrous shell. The flesh is white and is used for cooking in many countries. Oil is extracted too. Its fibre is also used for making ropes etc.

Prickly Pear

It is a type of cactus and has spines on it. It is commonly eaten in Mexico. It can be red, wine-red, green or yellowish –orange in color.

Apricot

The skin is yellowish orange. Its pulp is very sweet . The centre of the fruit has a hard nut having a droplet-shaped brown seed.

Plum Plum

It has a plump, round shape. The skin is smooth and shiny and can be red, purple or yellow in color. It has one seed. Dried plums are known as prunes.

Loquat

The fruits grow in clusters and have a smooth, fuzzy skin which can be peeled manually when ripe. The flesh is juicy and tastes sweet to slightly acidic.

GuavaIts shape may be round or oval. The skin is rough and is green in color when unripe but becomes yellow, maroon or green when ripe. It has many seeds and the pulp tastes soft and sweet.

PineappleIt has a very hard and spiky skin. With yellow pulp which may be sweet or acidic in taste. It is rich in vitamins and minerals. It can be eaten raw or used for making jams, jellies and ice-creams.

Custard Apple

The skin is dark green in color and has a bumpy surface. Its pulp is white in color and is very sweet. It has many seeds.

Jackfruit

It is a huge fruit. Its skin is light green to yellowish brown in color.. Its flesh is starchy and fibrous and the pulp is juicy and sweet.

Jujube

It has a thin, edible skin with white and sweet pulp. It has a hard stone in the centre which contains two seeds.

Bael

It has a smooth, woody shell which can be broken only by a hammer. It has green or yellow peel. The pulp is fibrous and yellow. There are many hairy seeds.

FigIt is a soft and sweet fruit and is full of small seeds. and often eaten in the dried form. It is often used in making jams.

Rose-appleIt does not look like an apple at all. Unripe fruits are bright green in color whereas the ripe ones are rosy-pink and waxy. The fruit is crispy and tastes like an apple.

RambutanThe reddish skin is leathery and covered with fleshy spines. The flesh is translucent and whitish. It has a sweet , acidic flavor. It has a single, brown seed.

Sugarcane

It is a tall perennial grass. Its stems are rich in sugar. It is widely used to produce sugar and molasses.

Passion fruit

It grows on vines and maybe of yellow or purple color. The size varies –it may be the size of a plum or a grapefruit. The fruit becomes sweeter as it ripens. Its pulp is like gelatin and can be scooped out by a spoon.

Olive

It is a thin-skinned fruit. It is egg-shaped and green in color. If it ripens on the tree it turns to dark purple or black color. Inside, it has a large seed with pointed ends. The flesh is inedible until pickled properly.

Dates

It is a sweet and dry fruit and has a waxy texture. Many varieties are available. It has a large seed inside it. It can be eaten raw or used in desserts.

ChikooIt is round or oval in shape. Its skin and pulp, both are brown in color. It has many seeds. It has a very sweet taste.

Cranberry

It is a red, sour, round or oval berry. It grows on an evergreen vine. It is rich in vitamin C.

Blueberry Blueberry

It is a small, sweet fruit that grows on a shrub of the same name. It grows in clusters from the flowers on blueberry shrubs.

Blackberry

It is a small, round fruit that grows on a flowering shrub. It may be black, dark red or yellow.

Loganberry

It is a small, reddish-purple fruit. Each loganberry consists of a cluster of tiny fruits called drupelets.

Raspberry

It is a tasty fruit that grows on thorny bushes. Each berry consists of a cluster of tiny bead like drupelets. Most raspberries are red but some are purple, black or orange.

Mulberry

The mulberry tree bears small, round sweet fruits. The fruit, also called mulberries, are white, purple or red.

Gooseberry

It is an oval, tart fruit or berry. It may be white, yellow, green or red. It may have a prickly, hairy or smooth surface.

Water ChestnutIt has a crisp texture and sweet taste. It can be eaten raw or used in salads and soups. It is high in carbohydrate and low infat.

carambolaIt has distinct ridges running down its sides. It has a tangy taste. The whole fruit is edible. It can also be used in making pickles and juices.

Hazel nutThe hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel (a shrub or a small tree). It is a round, brown edible nut. The hazel tree grows in the temperate climates of Asia, Europe and North America.

Cashewnut Cashew nut

The cashewnut is the edible nut of cashew (a bushy, evergreen tree). This tree bears kidney-shaped nuts attached to fleshy fruit. This fleshy fruit is called cashew apple. Each fruit contains one nut.

Cardamom Cardamom

The cardamom is the fruit of several plants in the ginger family. The fruit and seeds grow in a small shell. Its seeds are crushed and used to flavor food and desserts.

RaisinThe raisin is a dried, sweet grape. The word raisin comes from a French term meaning dry grape. It is used in puddings, cakes, cookies and bread.

AlmondAlmond is considered the king of nuts. It consists of a hard shell with a kernel inside it that can be eaten. It is an excellent source of iron and phosphorus. Its trees are very tall.

Pistachio nutIt has a hard and white shell. The seed is edible and is mauve in color with light green flesh. When the fruit ripens, the shell abruptly splits open. It has a distinct flavor and is widely consumed as a nut and also used in desserts.

Betel NutAs the fruit ripens, it has a wood-like consistency and can be sliced only by a special cutter. Along with some other spices, its slices are wrapped in betel leaves and chewed.

WalnutWalnut is a single-seeded stone fruit which is surrounded by a green husk before harvesting. Inside the shell is the kernel which is known as the ‘brain food’ as it is highly rich in many nutrients.

ChestnutThe fruit is enclosed in a spiny shell-like covering. It is usually consumed after cooking. It is a rich source of carbohydrates and vitamin C whereas very low in fat.

PeanutsThey are also known as groundnuts. They are high in protein, oil and fibre. They are used in food products but mostly they are crushed to extract oil.

Brazil nutsThey are large nuts . They are a good source of vitamins and minerals. They are also used to extract oil.

NutmegIt is the seed of the tree and is mostly used in a powdered form. It is used to enhance the flavor of sweet as well as savory dishes. It is also used to extract essential oils.