How to cook fruits

Our earliest ancestors built their diets entirely of vegetables, fruits, seeds, grains, legumes, and nuts. Throughout history, “fruit” has referred to any plant used as a food. More recently, “fruit” has come to mean the edible pulp or fleshy layer around a seed. In the 18th century, the word acquired a botanical definition: the organ derived from the ovary and surrounding the seed. At the same time, culinary custom defined fruits by their sweetness (or the balance of sweet to sour) and by how they are used in the meal, primarily as dessert. Thus, even though eggplant, cucumber, squash, and tomatoes are technically fruits, we call them vegetables.

Until recently, the availability of a fruit during the year depended on its growing season. For example, strawberries appeared in April and May, melons in August and September, whereas some fruits, such as apples and bananas, were available year-round. Today, reliable transportation brings fruit of every type to our markets year-round, although some imported fruits may be more costly during the winter than their domestic counterparts are in the summer when they are in season.

The dietary guidelines for americans includes as 1 of its 10 principles the advice to eat a variety of fruits (and vegetables) daily.

To help you to be better informed and better plan your menus, these pages provides information on the origin and nutrient content of many fruits. Fruit is a valuable source of fiber, vitamin C, some of the B vitamins, vitamin A, and other antioxidants and phytonutrients.