In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleBerries: It’s All About the Ovaries"Berries" Are Surprising, Too
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Berries: It’s All About the Ovaries
“Berries” Are Surprising, Too
Normally when something has the word “berry” in it, it makes sense that it would be classified as a “berry,” right? I mean, I couldn’t have been theonlyone to fall to the assumption here. Well, I was browsing online, looking up interesting food facts, and I stumbled upon this eye-opener: Strawberries arenotactually berries, according to thescientific nomenclature. But cucumbers, blueberries and kiwiare. Hmm, interesting. Needless to say, my mind is blown.So, I asked the experts, and here’s what they have to say about this categorically confusing topic.Recipe pictured above:Mascarpone & Berries ToastBerries: It’s All About the OvariesPictured Recipe:Strawberry Fruit SaladTo be a “berry,” the food must have just one ovary. And berries as we know them, like strawberries,raspberriesand blackberries, have more than one ovary. As a result, botanists consider fruits like strawberries a pseudocarp or false fruit.“Botanically, strawberries are actually a fruit. The difference is in the way the fruit comes from a single flower that has more than one ovary; for this reason, they’re actually called ‘aggregate fruits,'” saysGinger Hultin, M.S., RDN, CSO, a Seattle-based registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She explains, “Berries actually come from one flower with one ovary.“So, technically, fruits like strawberries and raspberries aren’t really berries at all. (Yet, blueberries actually are, because they have one ovary!) Because they’re aggregate fruits, they’re classified as such due to their several ovaries. They still have the same nutrition, flavor and versatility as you’d normally expect, just with a different classification and technical term.Healthy Berry Recipes"Berries” Are Surprising, TooPictured Recipe:Cucumber & Avocado SaladSo, what are berries? “Berries” include blueberries, bananas, avocados (avocados are not stone fruits, but they’re close) and kiwi, as these are fleshy fruits that come from one flower with one ovary, saysKelly Jones, M.S., RD, CSSD, LDN.Cucumbers are another type of berry, even though they seem more like a veggie! “Cucumbers are ‘pepos.’ Interestingly, pumpkins, zucchini, oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, cantaloupes and watermelons are also pepos,” says Hultin. And they are berries, as they have one single ovary. She says, “This type of berry has a hard rind for an outer layer and a fleshy middle. The outer rind helps protect the ovary, which holds all the seeds within.” Many gourds are pepos.Stone fruits are not berries, though. “A berry is technically a fleshy fruit, but it has to be without a stone—like apricots, plums or peaches—and produced from a single flower with just one ovary,” Hultin adds. So, when we call those stone fruits, that’s what they are. Let’s simplify some things over here in fruit world!The Bottom LineRegardless of classifications, berries and so-called berries are delicious. Try them in quick and healthy dishes likeBlueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound CakeorMini Berry Cream Pies. They’re also calledsuperfoodsfor a reason!Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Normally when something has the word “berry” in it, it makes sense that it would be classified as a “berry,” right? I mean, I couldn’t have been theonlyone to fall to the assumption here. Well, I was browsing online, looking up interesting food facts, and I stumbled upon this eye-opener: Strawberries arenotactually berries, according to thescientific nomenclature. But cucumbers, blueberries and kiwiare. Hmm, interesting. Needless to say, my mind is blown.So, I asked the experts, and here’s what they have to say about this categorically confusing topic.Recipe pictured above:Mascarpone & Berries ToastBerries: It’s All About the OvariesPictured Recipe:Strawberry Fruit SaladTo be a “berry,” the food must have just one ovary. And berries as we know them, like strawberries,raspberriesand blackberries, have more than one ovary. As a result, botanists consider fruits like strawberries a pseudocarp or false fruit.“Botanically, strawberries are actually a fruit. The difference is in the way the fruit comes from a single flower that has more than one ovary; for this reason, they’re actually called ‘aggregate fruits,'” saysGinger Hultin, M.S., RDN, CSO, a Seattle-based registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She explains, “Berries actually come from one flower with one ovary.“So, technically, fruits like strawberries and raspberries aren’t really berries at all. (Yet, blueberries actually are, because they have one ovary!) Because they’re aggregate fruits, they’re classified as such due to their several ovaries. They still have the same nutrition, flavor and versatility as you’d normally expect, just with a different classification and technical term.Healthy Berry Recipes"Berries” Are Surprising, TooPictured Recipe:Cucumber & Avocado SaladSo, what are berries? “Berries” include blueberries, bananas, avocados (avocados are not stone fruits, but they’re close) and kiwi, as these are fleshy fruits that come from one flower with one ovary, saysKelly Jones, M.S., RD, CSSD, LDN.Cucumbers are another type of berry, even though they seem more like a veggie! “Cucumbers are ‘pepos.’ Interestingly, pumpkins, zucchini, oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, cantaloupes and watermelons are also pepos,” says Hultin. And they are berries, as they have one single ovary. She says, “This type of berry has a hard rind for an outer layer and a fleshy middle. The outer rind helps protect the ovary, which holds all the seeds within.” Many gourds are pepos.Stone fruits are not berries, though. “A berry is technically a fleshy fruit, but it has to be without a stone—like apricots, plums or peaches—and produced from a single flower with just one ovary,” Hultin adds. So, when we call those stone fruits, that’s what they are. Let’s simplify some things over here in fruit world!The Bottom LineRegardless of classifications, berries and so-called berries are delicious. Try them in quick and healthy dishes likeBlueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound CakeorMini Berry Cream Pies. They’re also calledsuperfoodsfor a reason!
Normally when something has the word “berry” in it, it makes sense that it would be classified as a “berry,” right? I mean, I couldn’t have been theonlyone to fall to the assumption here. Well, I was browsing online, looking up interesting food facts, and I stumbled upon this eye-opener: Strawberries arenotactually berries, according to thescientific nomenclature. But cucumbers, blueberries and kiwiare. Hmm, interesting. Needless to say, my mind is blown.
So, I asked the experts, and here’s what they have to say about this categorically confusing topic.
Recipe pictured above:Mascarpone & Berries Toast
Pictured Recipe:Strawberry Fruit Salad
To be a “berry,” the food must have just one ovary. And berries as we know them, like strawberries,raspberriesand blackberries, have more than one ovary. As a result, botanists consider fruits like strawberries a pseudocarp or false fruit.
“Botanically, strawberries are actually a fruit. The difference is in the way the fruit comes from a single flower that has more than one ovary; for this reason, they’re actually called ‘aggregate fruits,'” saysGinger Hultin, M.S., RDN, CSO, a Seattle-based registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She explains, “Berries actually come from one flower with one ovary.”
So, technically, fruits like strawberries and raspberries aren’t really berries at all. (Yet, blueberries actually are, because they have one ovary!) Because they’re aggregate fruits, they’re classified as such due to their several ovaries. They still have the same nutrition, flavor and versatility as you’d normally expect, just with a different classification and technical term.
Healthy Berry Recipes
Pictured Recipe:Cucumber & Avocado Salad
So, what are berries? “Berries” include blueberries, bananas, avocados (avocados are not stone fruits, but they’re close) and kiwi, as these are fleshy fruits that come from one flower with one ovary, saysKelly Jones, M.S., RD, CSSD, LDN.
Cucumbers are another type of berry, even though they seem more like a veggie! “Cucumbers are ‘pepos.’ Interestingly, pumpkins, zucchini, oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, cantaloupes and watermelons are also pepos,” says Hultin. And they are berries, as they have one single ovary. She says, “This type of berry has a hard rind for an outer layer and a fleshy middle. The outer rind helps protect the ovary, which holds all the seeds within.” Many gourds are pepos.
Stone fruits are not berries, though. “A berry is technically a fleshy fruit, but it has to be without a stone—like apricots, plums or peaches—and produced from a single flower with just one ovary,” Hultin adds. So, when we call those stone fruits, that’s what they are. Let’s simplify some things over here in fruit world!
The Bottom Line
Regardless of classifications, berries and so-called berries are delicious. Try them in quick and healthy dishes likeBlueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound CakeorMini Berry Cream Pies. They’re also calledsuperfoodsfor a reason!
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!OtherSubmit
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