Culinary Fruits

The term fruit can have different meanings. In botanical biology a fruit is the ripened ovary of a flowering plant, which contains the seeds. Plants use fruits to disseminate their seeds. But when we talk about fruits as food, we usually refer to those fruits that are sweet and fleshy. Mango, apple, cherries, and oranges are fruits botanically, but at the same time they are also culinary fruits. But beans and cucumbers are fruits only in a botanical sense; as food we call them vegetables and not fruits. The difference between vegetables and fruits is sometimes also rather confusing: some fruits, such as tomato and avocado, can be considered a culinary fruit but they are at the same time eaten as a vegetable. The list below is limited to Culinary Fruits.

The three main categories of fruits are: Temperate Fruits, Subtropical Fruits, and Tropical Fruits.

Temperate Fruits

Fruits of temperate climates are almost always borne on trees or woody shrubs or lianas (woody vines). 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.

The Pome Fruits

Pome fruits are members of the plant family Rosaceae, sub-family pomoideae. They are fruits that have a "core" of several small seeds, surrounded by a tough membrane. The membrane is encased in an edible layer of flesh. Trees are deciduous and have a dormant winter period that requires cold temperatures for the tree to properly break dormancy in spring. These trees flower in the spring, then bear fruit in the summer. Harvest usually occurs in the late summer and early fall. Apples, pears, nashi and quince are pome fruits, grown from spring blossom and harvested from late summer through to late autumn.

Apple and Crabapple

The apple has been grown for thousands of years. It was well known to the Ancient China and Egypt. Apples were also known to the Greeks and Romans and they were popular through all the centuries to the present day.

Chokeberry

Loquat

Loquats are a hardy species that grow best in a warm, subtropical climate and enjoy widespread popularity in the Middle East and Asia. North American loquats are usually ornamental plants since cold temperatures prevent the fruit from developing a sweet, pleasant flavor.

Medlar

Medlars, quinces, and rowans were popular fruits in Europe for many centuries but fell out of favor as apples and pears were cultivated to produce more flavorful fruit in larger numbers. Quinces can still be found in some specialty markets, but medlars and rowans are no longer grown commercially.

Pear

Pears have had a place on the table for centuries and are one of the oldest cultivated fruits. Native to China and the regions surrounding the country to the southwest, pears made it to the United States along with the colonists. Today they grow best in the Pacific Northwest, though many states grow the fruit from New York to Colorado to California. China and Europe, namely France, also grow this fruit, and the three areas produce the most pears in the world.

Pears start popping up around the end of summer and remain available well into the winter.

Anjou is one of the most popular types of pear and has the flavor of what people think of when they think about a pear. Plus, it's soft and buttery with a bright sunny finish. Bartlett pears prove similar and have firmer flesh. The other widespread pear you'll see is Bosc, and it's brownish with a long body and crisper texture that works well cooked with savory dishes.

When shopping for pears, gently feel around the stem of the fruit. If the spot remains firm, give it another day or two and check again. If it's soft but not squishy, it's ready to eat. Never buy pears that are mushy or discolored.

Like apples, the pear's flesh is prone to oxidation when sliced. This can be prevented by dipping the raw pear slices in lemon juice immediately after they're cut.

Quince

Rose Hips

Service Berry

The Stone Fruits

A stone fruit, also called a drupe, is a fruit with a large "stone" inside surrounded by a fleshy outer area. The stone is sometimes called the seed, but that is a mistake, as the seed is inside the stone. The stones can also be called a pit. These fruits are edible and used frequently in cooking. So many delicious fruits like peaches, plums, apricots, dates, mangoes, coconuts, and cherries fall into the stone fruit category. Even olives, though we often think of them more as savory, are stone fruits.

Stone fruits are highly seasonal because most varieties won’t ripen after they’re harvested, meaning they’re picked at their peak, often a very small window of time. Luckily, different varieties ripen at different times: You’ll start to see stone fruits in late spring, beginning with cherries and apricots. In midsummer, peaches, nectarines, plums will begin to show up, continuing through the end of summer, when prune plums mark the end of the season and the arrival of fall.

Most stone fruits won’t actually ripen after harvest, although they may continue to soften and become a bit more aromatic over time. Most stone fruits should be stored at room temperature, not in the fridge, as cold temperatures can damage the texture.

Apricot

Apricots originally came from China. In ancient times they spread across Persia to the Mediterranean region and the Romans knew them. Later the Arabs grew apricots. Apricots were grown in England from the 16th century.

Apricots are largely of the species Prunus armeniaca, of which there are thousands of varieties, including white- and red-fleshed versions. The most familiar apricots have orange skin and flesh due to a high amount of carotenoids, precursors to vitamin A. Apricots, which ripen from the inside out, are very fragile and don’t ship well. Since they’re naturally high in pectin, apricots are an excellent choice for drying. Dried apricots are typically treated with sulfur dioxide to preserve their color and nutrients, such as vitamin C. Apricot pits are poisonous when raw, but roasted they have a sweet, almond flavor known as noyaux.

Cherry

Cherries are native to Asia. They were eaten by the Chinese, the Greeks and the Romans. However in Northern Europe cherries only really became popular in the late Middle Ages. In the 17th century colonists took cherries to North America.

Cherries are small heart-shape stone fruits often sold on the stem. They come in two main varieties: Sweet cherries, of the species Prunus avium, are consumed fresh and are sweet and low in acid. Sour cherries, of the species Prunus cerasus, are usually frozen, canned, or otherwise preserved due to their high acid content and very tart flavor. A third variety, called dukes, are a cross between the two types of cherry.

Chokecherry

Peach varieties and Nectarine

The first peaches and nectarines came from China and were of the freestone, white-fleshed variety. Yellow-fleshed varieties, now preferred in North America, were first developed in the mid-19th century and are especially high in vitamin A due to the carotenoids (such as beta-carotene) that also give them their color.

Peaches and nectarines are actually part of the same species: Prunis persica. The difference? Nectarines have smooth skin and tend to be smaller and firmer than peaches, which have fuzzy skin.

Plum varieties and Hybrids, such as the plumcot/apriplum, pluot, aprium, and peacotum

Plums have smooth skin and are generally smaller and tarter than peaches and nectarines. They come from several species, the most popular of which are the European (Prunus domestica) and Japanese (Prunus salicina) plums. European plums, which originated in the Caucasus region about 2,000 years ago, tend to be meaty and semi-freestone. Japanese plums, which actually originated in China (along with most other stone fruit), tend to be larger and rounder than European plums. They’re usually clingstone, and have a longer shelf life than European plums, which means they’re more commercially available.

Pluots, plumcots, and apriums are all plum-apricot hybrids. Pluot and aprium are actually registered trademarks of California breeder Floyd Zaiger, who produced some of the most famous plum-apricot hybrids. Zaiger pluots lean toward the plum side, whereas apriums lean toward the apricot side. Other plum-apricot hybrids are usually known by the generic name plumcot. Whatever you call them, plum-apricot hybrids are sweeter than plums, with more complex flavor.

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 of these that are not true berries.

Blackberry, including dewberry, boysenberry, olallieberry, and tayberry

Blackberries grew in Europe, Asia and North and South America. For thousands of years people ate blackberries and since ancient times they were used as a medicine.

Blueberry

Blueberries are native to North America. They were eaten by Native Americans (sometimes with meat). They were also used as a medicine. Europeans learned how to grow blueberries and from the late 19th century they were canned.

Cranberry

Currant

In the Middle Ages and for centuries afterwards blackcurrants were used as a medicine. During World War II the government encouraged people to grow them as they were a rich source of vitamin C. Most were made into cordial and blackcurrant drinks have remained popular in Britain since then.

Elderberry

Gooseberry

Gooseberries are native to Europe and Western Asia. They were first mentioned in England in the 16th century when they were grown as a medicine. However in the 19th century they were a popular food. The name gooseberry may simply be goose berry because they were eaten with goose or it may be a corruption of the Dutch word kruisbes, which means cross berry.

Huckleberry

Lingonberry

Loganberry

Mulberry

Raspberry

Salmonberry

Strawberry

Thimbleberry

Wineberry

Mediterranean and Subtropical Fruits

Subtropical fruits need warm or mild temperatures throughout the year. 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. Other common subtropical fruits are citrus fruits: oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes.

Mediterranean Natives

Dates

Figs

Figs have been grown in the Middle East since prehistoric times. They were mentioned in Sumer (Iraq) as early as 2,500 BC. They were a staple food in Egypt and were later grown by the Greeks and Romans. Figs were probably introduced to China in the 8th century AD. Figs were taken by Spaniards to the Americas in the 16th century. Figs were also introduced to England in the 16th century.

Grapes and raisins

Grapes are native to Asia and they were grown before 4,000 BC. Grapes were, obviously, used to make wine but they were also eaten as a fruit and they were popular with the Greeks and Romans and have been ever since.

Pomegranate

Citrus

Citrus fruits grow on flowering trees and shrubs. They are characterized by a leathery rind and white pith that encases juicy segments. They’re native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia and possibly Southeast Asia. Nowadays, they are cultivated in tropical and subtropical climates all over the world. Interestingly, nearly a third of all citrus fruits are used to make juice. You can find all kinds of citrus fruits year round. The peak season for oranges and grapefruits in the Northern Hemisphere is between mid-December and April.

Blood Orange

Citron

Clementine

Grapefruit

It is not known exactly how grapefruit originated. It is believed to be a hybrid of two other fruits. At any rate grapefruit was first recorded in the West Indies in the mid-18th century.

Kumquat

Lemon

Lemons originally came from Southern Asia. They later reached the Middle East and they were known to the Romans although they were rare in the Roman Empire. Later the Arabs introduced lemons to Spain and Sicily. In the 15th century lemons became popular in northern Europe.

Lime, including Key, Persian and Kaffir lime

Limes are native to Southern Asia. The Arabs took them to the Mediterranean area and later the Crusaders took them to Europe. Columbus took limes to the West Indies. From 1795 British sailors were given rations of lime juice to prevent scurvy.

Mandarin

Orange (sweet or sour)

Pomelo

Tangerines

Hybrids of the preceding species, such as the Orangelo, Tangelo, Rangpur (fruit) and Ugli fruit

Other Subtropical Fruits

Avocado

Avocados first grew in Central America and the Spanish discovered them in the 16th century. In the 19th century avocados were introduced to the USA and Australia. However in Europe avocados were not normally eaten until the late 20th century.

Guava

Lychee

Passion Fruit

Peanut

Tropical Fruits

Strictly speaking the word tropical refers to the tropics, which is the area of earth centered on the equator and limited in the North by the Tropic of Cancer and in the south by the Tropic of Capricorn. This tropical zone stretches from 23.4 º North latitude to 23.4 º South latitude. Tropical fruits are those that have their origin in the tropics and require a rather tropical or subtropical climate; they don't tolerate frost.

Bananas

Bananas are native to Southeast Asia. However by 500 BC they were being grown in India. Alexander the Great ate them and his men took them back to the Western World. By 200 AD bananas were grown in China. Bananas were probably taken to Madagascar by the Arabs and spread from there to mainland Africa. In the 16th century the Portuguese took bananas to the New World. The first recorded sale of bananas in England was in 1633 however they were expensive until the end of the 19th century.

Coconut

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Papaya

Papaya is a tropical fruit with orange-colored, sweet flesh and edible seeds that have a pepper-like flavor. They are also known as papaws or pawpaws. Often you can find it used in Asian, Thai, Caribbean, and Indian cuisines, either raw or cooked. Papayas come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Papaya is native to Mexico. However, it grows naturally in the Caribbean and Florida too. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), India produces the most papayas.

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