Tag Archives: Fruit

Nashi Pear

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Nashi Pear

You cannot get more exotic than nashi pears.

  • Nashi pears are a fruit of roughly spherical shape that grow on trees from the same genus as pears.
  • ‘Nashi pears’ are also known as ‘Japanese pears’, ‘Chinese pears’, ‘nashis’, ‘Korean pears’, ‘Asian pears’, ‘Japanese apple pears’, ‘apple-pears’, ‘Oriental pears’, ‘Taiwan pears’ and ‘sand pears’.
  • The scientific name of the nashi pear tree is Pyrus pyrifolia and it is from the family Rosaceae, the family of roses.
  • The skin of nashi pears is a little course and is typically speckled, and can be a light yellow, green, golden brown or cream colour, depending on the variety.
  • The flesh of nashi pears is almost white, and it tends to be crispy, grainy, watery, and sweet.

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Nashi Pear
Image courtesy of Apple and Pear Australia Ltd/Flickr

 

  • Nashi pears are popularly eaten both raw and cooked, sometimes used as a sweetener, and they can be baked, grilled, poached and barbecued.
  • Nashi pears have their origins in Japan and China, in East Asia, where the tree’s flower has become a sign of spring.
  • Nashi pears are best stored in a dry and cool area, where they can be kept for a number of weeks.
  • Due to their high water content, nashi pears can bruise quite easily, and as a result they require hand picking and sufficient cushioning for transportation purposes.
  • Nashi pears have significant quantities of vitamin K and vitamin C, as well as fibre and potassium.
Bibliography:
Nashi, 2011, Fresh For Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/nashi/nashi.html
Pyrus pyrifolia, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrus_pyrifolia

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Honeydew Melon

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Honeydew Melon

Honeydew melons are sweeter than watermelon and perhaps healthier than honey.

  • Honeydew melons are a melon fruit of roughly spherical shape, and it is said that they originated in Algeria in North Africa, and possibly other surrounding areas including the Middle East and southern Europe.
  • Honeydew melons are a cultivar known as ‘inodorus’ of the muskmelon species that has the scientific name Cucumis melo, and is from the family Cucurbitaceae, the family of cucurbits or some gourds.
  • ‘Honeydew melons’ are also known as ‘honeymelons’ and simply ‘honeydews’, and they can also be referred to as ‘winter melons’ (not to be confused with the gourds of the same name) and ‘White Antibes melons’.
  • The rough size of honeydew melons is 15 to 22 centimetres (6 to 9 inches) in length and 1.8 to 3.6 kilograms (4 to 8 pounds) in weight.
  • The skin of honeydew melons can be green, white or yellow, while the interior flesh is usually a light green colour.
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Honeydew Melon
Image courtesy of Tracy Ducasse; edited/Flickr
  • Honeydew melons are very sweet due to their high content of natural sugars, and the sugar content increases as the fruit ripens.
  • The skin texture of a good quality honeydew melon is generally waxy, and the melon will be weighty, which indicates that it contains significant quantities of juice.
  • Honeydew melons have been favoured by Napoleon, Cleopatra VII and Pope Paul II, and they were originally reserved for the noble or wealthy.
  • Raw is the most common way to eat honeydew melons, although the fruit may be cooked in dishes for a sweet addition or used to flavour beverages.
  • Honeydew melons are very high in vitamin C and are a good source of potassium, and they contain other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Honeydew, 2011, Fresh for Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/honeydew/honeydew.html
Honeydew (Melon), 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeydew_(melon)

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Lychee

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Lychee

Lie low – the lychee are just around the corner!

  • Lychee is a sweet fruit of small size, originating from the tropical areas of Asia’s China.
  • The scientific name of the tree that lychees grow on is Litchi chinensis, and it is from the family Sapindaceae, the family of soapberries.
  • The rough thin skin of a lychee should be peeled before eating, and this reveals the internal edible fruit, and a smooth brown seed.
  • The skin of lychees is generally a red to pink colour when the fruit is ripe and fresh, while the flesh inside is white and translucent.
  • Chinese emperors and other wealthy Chinese prized lychees, so much so, that it caused high demand and a significant consumption rate throughout the centuries.

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Lychees
Image courtesy of silkway/Flickr
  • Lychees are generally eaten raw, although they may be added to, or cooked in other dishes to feature their sweet flavour.
  • There are a number of varieties of lychees; and they grow on trees that are evergreen, that generally grow to heights of 10 to 12 metres (33 to 40 feet).
  • Lychees are roughly spherical in shape and are approximately 4 to 5 centimetres (1.6 to 2 inches) in diameter.
  • The skin of lychees tends to go brown after picking, and while they are best stored in the refrigerator, this can accentuate this tendency, however, the flesh remains unchanged.
  • Lychees are very high in vitamin C, they are a good source of copper, potassium, vitamin B and fibre, and they contain many other vitamins and minerals.
Bibliography:
Lychee, 2011, Fresh for Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/lychee/lychee.html
Lychee, 2015, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee

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Plum

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Plum

How tiresome, the picking of plums must be.

  • Plums are edible, fleshy fruit with a smooth skin, and contain a single pit or seed in the centre.
  • Plums grow on trees that have the scientific genus name ‘Prunus’, that is from the family Rosaceae, the family of roses, and most commercially available fruit comes from the Japanese ‘Prunus salicina’ and the European ‘Prunus domestica’ species.
  • The typical diameter of a plum reaches 3.5 to 7.6 centimetres (1 to 3 inches) and they are roughly spherical in shape.
  • Plums are generally quite juicy, with flavours that vary from sweet to tart depending on the species and variety.
  • Plums are commonly eaten raw, although they can be dried, juiced, pickled and cooked, the latter often in desserts; and the dried versions are known as ‘prunes’.

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  • The skin of plums can be coloured pink, yellow, red, purple, green or almost black, while the flesh can be white, yellow, red or green.
  • The growing of plums for domestic purposes has been evident across Europe and Asia for approximately 2000 years.
  • China produced approximately 6.1 million tonnes (6.7 million tons) in 2013, the most in the world, compared to the worldwide production of 11.5 million tonnes (12.6 million tons).
  • Plums are high in vitamin C, and are good sources of vitamins A and K, as well as fibre.
  • There are more than 2000 varieties of plums in the world, and they are usually individually picked at the best possible time, by hand.
Bibliography:
Plum, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum
Plums, 2011, Fresh for Kids, http://www.freshforkids.com.au/fruit_pages/plum/plum.html
Plums & Prunes, 2015, World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=35

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Chili Pepper

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Chili Pepper

Try not to kill your tongue with hot chilli peppers.

  • A chili pepper is a red, yellow or green coloured fruit, usually from one of five species of plants that belong to the Capsicum genus, and they are from the family Solanaceae, the family of nightshades.
  • ‘Chili peppers’ are also known as ‘chilli peppers’, ‘chile peppers’, ‘chillies’ and ‘peppers’; and they range in shape and size, and are generally between 2.5 to 15 centimetres (1 to 6 inches) in length.
  • Chili peppers are native to America, where the food has historically been a staple culinary item, particularly in Central America.
  • Chili pepper was named after black pepper, which, according to the Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus who named them, had a similar spicy flavour.
  • Around the 1500s, after Christopher Columbus’ discovery, chili peppers became known and used in Europe; and Portuguese traders brought the food to Asia.

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  • Chili peppers contain a chemical named capsaicin, which causes the hot, spicy flavour; and the capsaicin quantity is measured using Scoville heat unites (SHU); while the hottest is the Carolina reaper, with 2.2 million SHU.
  • Chili peppers can be eaten dried or fresh; cooked, roasted, ground or pickled, and they are popular in curries, and Mexican and Asian cuisine.
  • Chemicals, including capsaicin, can be derived from chili peppers to create pepper spray, which can be used to temporarily blind people, sometimes used for police control purposes.
  • Chili peppers can be used to combat pain from nerve disfunctions and osteoarthritis, as well as protecting healthy fats.
  • Chili peppers are extremely high in vitamin C, and they are high in vitamin K, vitamin A and fibre.
Bibliography:
Chili pepper, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_pepper
Chili pepper, dried, 2015, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=29

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Papaya

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Papaya

No fruit salad is complete without papayas!

  • Papayas are fruit that grow on plants native to the American tropics, with the ‘trees’ that they grow being as tall as 5 to 10 metres (16 to 33 feet).
  • A ‘papaya’ is also known as a ‘pawpaw’ and a ‘papaw’.
  • Papayas come from a plant that has the scientific name Carica papaya and are from the family Caricaceae, a family of small trees and shrubs.
  • The largest producers of papayas in the 2008 to 2010 period, was India, producing approximately 38.6% of the world production.
  • Papayas commonly have green coloured skin that turns yellow or orange when ripe, and the flesh is either yellow, orange or red, depending on the species.

Papaya, Yellow, Fruit, Black, Half, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Papayas have soft and sweet musky flavoured flesh and are popularly eaten raw or cooked, in salads, curries or soups, and the black seeds can be used as black pepper replacements.
  • Papayas, when unripe, contain latex, which can cause allergic reactions and possibly miscarriages.
  • Papayas can grow up to 51 centimetres (20 inches) in length and are generally pear or round shaped.
  • Papayas are very high in vitamin C, and are high in folate, vitamin A and dietary fibre.
  • Papaya has been used in traditional medicine and in some hair products, and is commonly made into ointment for the treatment of cuts, rashes, burns and other skin conditions.

 

Bibliography:
Papaya, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya
Papaya, 2014, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=47

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