Tip 1: How to distinguish a fruit from a vegetable
Tip 1: How to distinguish a fruit from a vegetable
It would seem that the difficult thing isto determine whether a fruit is in front of you or a vegetable? Apples, oranges, bananas and other sweet fruits - fruits, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, cabbage, zucchini - vegetables. However, from the scientific point of view, everything is not so simple.
You will need
- The fruits to be identified; a guide to botany.
Instructions
1
Many may be surprised at the assertion thata tomato is a fruit, but, say, tea is a vegetable. However, from the point of view of botany, everything is as it is. In botany fruits are called juicy fruits of trees or shrubs, ripened ovaries of flowers. Under this definition, in fact, fall and tomatoes, and cucumbers, and zucchini with eggplant, peas and beans.
2
Vegetables in botany are called any edible partplants, with the exception of fruits, berries, nuts and seeds. Concerning root crops, disputes are still being conducted - whether vegetables are beets, carrots, potatoes and the like, or whether they are modified root systems. Most often they are referred to vegetables, because they are an edible part of the plant. However, raw potatoes, for example, are not considered vegetables. But the greens - this is also vegetables, which means that tea is also a vegetable, because it is green, used for food.
3
In botany, the berry is a multi-seeded fruit withdense shell and juicy pulp. That is why a watermelon is considered a berry, as, incidentally, and grapes - it's not a fruit, as everyone is used to believe. According to some classifications, the tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, etc. mentioned above belong to the berries. What is really related to these fruits, it is very difficult to determine.
4
But in order not to get lost completely, know thatthere is also a culinary classification of fruits, familiar to everyone who uses these fruits for food. In the culinary sense, fruit is a sweet juicy fruit, vegetables are fruits that are subjected to some culinary processing, and tea is tea. But here you can get confused too - you can eat a tomato and raw, but it will still remain a vegetable, and the apple can be baked, and it will remain a fruit. At the same time, it's okay if you eat a watermelon and consider it a fruit, as well as grapes. Any classification of fruits and vegetables is intricate and not fully worked out, so the main thing is to eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, because it is useful, but the rest will be thought of by botanists.
Tip 2: A banana is a fruit or a berry?
In our country, bananas are consumed asdessert product, and in many countries of South Asia and Africa they form the basis of the diet of local people and are the main food product. The taste of a banana depends on the variety, but each fruit is rich in useful substances and a lot of vitamins.
What is a banana?
Banana is a herb with a powerful roota system that, despite its impressive size, does not have a solid trunk. Bananas have one soft stalk, which is wrapped with a lot of large leaves adjoining one another. It develops flowers, and then - fleshy fruits. Because of such features, botanists refer to the fruits of this plant not to fruits, but to berries.The homeland of the banana is the islands of the Malayan archipelago, and the first information about them is attributed to the XVII century BC - knowingly they are mentioned as the most ancient cultivated plants.Each year on the stem only one maturesharvest, after which the old stem dies, and from the rhizome grows a new one, on which fruits ripen. Some kinds of bananas can bear fruit in this way for 100 years. The height of the banana stem can vary from 2 to 10 meters, which is why bananas are considered to be the largest grass.
Useful properties of bananas
Bananas are considered one of the most usefulfood products, which is due to their chemical composition and nutritional value. The fruits contain a large amount of carbohydrates, some proteins and fats. They are rich in vitamins of group B, vitamins C and E, necessary to maintain the immunity and tone of the skin. And the nicotinic acid contained in bananas contributes to the normalization of metabolic processes in the body.The energy value of bananas is 90 kcal per 100 g.Bananas are rich in phosphorus and potassium, sodaily intake of 3 fruits can replenish the body's daily intake of these substances. Thanks to the amount of potassium necessary for normal functioning of the heart muscle, it is possible to normalize blood pressure, reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Bananas also contain iron, calcium, magnesium and sodium. These berries help to clean the vessels of cholesterol plaques, reducing the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis. Bananas also have a beneficial effect on the liver, kidneys and bile ducts, so it is useful to include them in the diet for those who suffer from swelling. The consumption of banana pulp is considered a good prevention of stomach and duodenal ulcers, as well as gastritis. However, during the exacerbation of these diseases, bananas are better not to eat. Well and, of course, bananas are not in vain considered the best antidepressants in the world. It is useful to introduce them into the diet in a bad mood, depression, depression and even nervous disorders.
Tip 3: How to dry fruit and berries at home
Drying is one of the most ancient ways of preservingfruits. The process resembles drying: fruits and berries dry out under the influence of the sun and air, changing the consistency and acquiring a concentrated taste. However, jerky products never become fragile and fragile - the fruit retains a part of the moisture, remaining elastic and dense.
Very suitable succulent fruits and berries are suitable for dryingwith dense flesh: apricots, apples, melons, dates, plums, grapes, figs. To achieve a better consistency, a hot sun is required. If you do not have it, you can fry the fruit in the oven or electric dryer. Sometimes the fruits are pre-cooked in sugar syrup. After processing, fruits and berries are stored in boxes, cardboard boxes or linen bags. Do not pack fruits in plastic bags - fruits and berries can become moldy.
Dried fruits are high in calories. Use them in small portions as a dessert or snack, accompanied by hot tea or other drinks.
Dried melon
For drying, any melon, even ripeor not too tasty. Cut it into slices, cut the crust. Pieces of melon spread on the board and put to dry in the sun, pre-covered with gauze. At night, put planks with fruit in the room. When the melon wrinkles and compacts, fold two or three slices together and put them in a pigtail. Dry the braids in the sun for a few more days. Fruits should become dense, but remain flexible.Sun-dried apricots in sugar
At home, the fruit can be dried in the ovenor electric dryer. To taste the fruit became more concentrated, and the juice was more active, it is recommended to boil the fruit in sugar syrup. According to this recipe, you can make apricots, peaches, cherries or cherries. You will need: - 2 kg of apricots without pits - 1 kg of sugar, - 350 ml of water. Abricoses sort out, rejecting the damaged fruits. Rinse the fruit in several waters and dry with a towel. Remove the bones, trying to keep the fruits intact. Put the apricots in a saucepan and pour 700 g of sugar. Stir the mixture with a wooden spatula and leave for a day - during this time, the fruit must leave the excess juice.Apricot juice and syrup is used for making drinks, sweet sauces and a variety of desserts.Drain the juice by flipping the apricots into a colander. Then prepare the syrup from the water and the remaining sugar. Cook it until the crystals completely dissolve. Put the fruits in a saucepan, stir and bring to a boil. Cook apricots on low heat for 7-10 minutes, then turn off the stove and leave the fruit to infuse. The syrup should become warm, but do not congeal. Again, open the apricots in a colander. Allow the syrup to drain, stirring the fruit with a wooden spatula. Spread the apricots on the grate of the electric dryer and dry the appliance at a temperature of 55oC for about 3 hours. Instead of a dryer, you can use the oven. Finished the fruits cool and put away for storage.
Tip 4: How to distinguish fruits from berries and vegetables
In everyday life, everyone uses foodfruits, vegetables and berries, especially without thinking about whether there is a fundamental difference between them or not. But the position of biologists on this account is clearly formed: they know exactly what can be considered a vegetable, and that is a fruit or a berry.
What are vegetables?
Dictionary Ozhegova defines vegetables as grownon the ridges, root crops, bulbous, leafy and some other plants, as well as their fruits themselves. Speaking more capaciously, this is an edible part of a plant that grows on the ground and is not grass, fruit, grain, nut or spice. All vegetables can be divided into several groups. The first include root crops. This is all known carrots, beets, radishes, horseradish, etc. To the second - tubers - potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke, sweet potato (sweet potatoes). The third group consists of onions - garlic, onions, leeks, shallots, wild garlic and others. The fourth group - cabbage - includes all varieties of cabbage (white cabbage, savoy, Peking, Chinese - up to 50 species), rapeseed, mustard and very appreciated by Japanese cuisine lovers wasabi. The fifth group is tomato. To her, tomato, pepper, eggplant are considered. The sixth group - beans - includes beans, peas, chickpeas, soybeans, peanuts, lentils. Representatives of the last seventh group of pumpkin are pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, squash.What are fruits and berries
From Latin, "fruit" is translated as "fruit." Therefore, the term "fruit" in botany is absent - the term "fruit" is used instead. By the fruit of biologists understand the juicy organs of plants (not necessarily edible), appearing after the flower of the plant has faded, and in its place an ovary was formed. A distinctive feature of fruits is the presence of seeds, whether large or small, hard or soft. Many vegetables, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, as well as peas and nuts, also have these characteristics. Fruits are divided into pome fruits (apples, pears), stone fruits (peaches, apricots), citrus fruits (oranges, mandarins, lemons), subtropical and tropical (mango, avocado, pineapple, banana) and melons (watermelon, melon). Berry in the understanding of botanists is a kind of fruit containing many seeds. Proceeding from this criterion, berries can be considered currant, banana, watermelon, tomato, gooseberry, kiwi and even potatoes. But strawberries, strawberries and dogrose are considered experts as false berries, as participation in fruit development is not only taken by the ovary, but also by the flower-bottom part of the flower, on which are sepals, petals, stamens and pistils.Distinctive features of vegetables, fruits and berries
Analyzing the above, one can deducea few fundamental differences between fruit and vegetables. First - vegetables represent any part of the plant, and fruits - its fruit. The second - in the fruit must contain seeds, which can then germinate, thereby giving life to a new plant. Vegetable is only a part of the plant, which is absolutely incapable of reproducing oneself. The third - fruits grow on plants with a hard or soft stalk, vegetables - a part of grassy plants. Fourth - fruit and berries differ in the size and number of seeds.Tip 5: Is it true that tomato and cucumber are berries?
Tomatoes and cucumbers are the leaders among others.agricultural crops in occupied areas on the backyard. In the people they are referred to vegetables, because they are devoid of dessert properties. However, under the laws of botany, many popular fruits should be regarded as fruits, or more precisely, berries. This rule is also true for these popular cultures.
As it turns out, the Russian ancestors were right,When they called the overseas fruit of tomato "a mad berry." Not in terms of the fact that tomatoes can cause rabies, but because it really berry. In everyday life, hardly anyone will take advantage of this knowledge and will begin justice for the sake of zealously upholding the laws of botany. Moreover, in 1893 even the Supreme Court of the United States forfeited these laws, which, for the sake of economic benefit (vegetables were subject to customs duties), classified a tomato for vegetables.
Observance of traditions contrary to science
Only in 2001 the European Union issued an order,on which tomatoes are required to be attributed to fruits. However, it is extremely difficult to overcome the age-old traditions. As a rule, people divide between vegetables, fruits and berries to taste and use in cooking. What has a sweet taste and serves to make desserts is fruit. And what is salted, stewed, marinated - vegetables. Therefore, fruits such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, beans, are considered to be the same vegetables as root vegetables, tubers and stems.
I must say that the Italians were originallyAre close to the truth, calling the fruit of tomato pomo d'oro - a golden apple. According to the definition of botanists, it really refers to fruits, and by type of fruit is classified as berry. Traditionally, fruits are often called everything that grows on a tree. However, citrus fruits grow on a tree, zucchini, watermelon, melon, cucumber - are located on long whips, and blueberries, cranberries, cowberries - on low bushes. But they are united by one thing - they are all berries.
What the botanists say
Science does not tolerate speculation and fantasy. If the fruit is a juicy pulp with a lot of small seeds, it belongs to berries. And berries, in turn, are fleshy fruits, which can also include apples, pears and many varieties of nightshade and pumpkin. Another characteristic of fruit is the appearance of a fruit, covered with a shell, from the ovary of a flower. But from the ovary of the flower there are many fruits, so it will be more correct to divide the fruit into fleshy, fruit-stems (cherry, plum) and dry fruits (beans, nuts).
It must be said that the Latin concept of fructus is notOriginally set the task of a clear gradation between fruit varieties, because it is translated simply as "fruit." The concept of a vegetable is rather not a biological term, but a culinary term, which is characterized in Dal's famous dictionary as a "kitchen garden". Therefore, for most people, the favorite fruits of the garden will remain vegetables.
