Amazing facts about fruit (19 photos)

Fruits are a necessary part of a healthy diet. However, we often do not even think about what we eat. We know that oranges orange, and do not suspect that eat the same banana 50 years. Did you know how expensive can be the perfect fruit? These and other facts about fruit that may surprise you.

1. Offensive durian - a powerful aphrodisiac



Durian - a fruit native to South Asia, which is known for its bad smell. The smell is so unbearable that many public places in Asia, it is forbidden.

But few know that this stinking fruit has powerful aphrodisiac properties. It is believed that it has an immediate effect on the libido of man, and tender and smooth flesh of the fruit - that in itself is a sensual pleasure coupled with rich flavors.

According to residents saying the Indonesian island of Java, "When a falling durian, sarong (skirt-like garment) are raised." Legend appeared after people watched after eating durian, the animals are almost always indulged pairing.

Durian contains high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into a happiness hormone serotonin, causing a feeling of pleasure. Studies in mice showed that those mice for two weeks gave durian, increased libido and improved reproductive ability.

2. Bananas too perfect


Genetic diversity provides the longevity of the species. However, this is not about bananas. Despite the fact that there are more than 300 different types of bananas, most people in the world eat one kind called Cavendish.

It is a delicious, convenient, and is grown around the world, ranging from Hawaii to Thailand. But wherever he was growing up, it is genetically identical, and therefore more vulnerable. In the absence of genetic diversity, disease or fungus could destroy the entire world population of bananas.


For example, previously one of the most popular types of bananas was the Gros Michel, the fungus is not destroyed almost all kinds of bananas. It spent billions of dollars to find a replacement for Gros Michel bananas.

Despite efforts to create a more stable, genetically different kinds of bananas, bananas Cavendish also threatened with extinction. The problem is partly due to the fact that bananas do not reproduce through seeds and new varieties of seeds required. Moreover, almost all modern mutations bananas are obtained from 10 plants that are cultivated in Africa.

3. Perfect fruit easy to find


In Japan, the fruit is presented as a gift to family members, friends, colleagues and business partners. He is considered a luxury item and he is better than, the more it becomes a memorable gift.

There even exist stores called Senbikiya, specializing only in ideal samples of fruit. In fruits that are sold in this store, not only are there spots and dents, they have to be the ideal form. Some look so big and juicy, it is possible to doubt that they are real.


For instance, a basket of 12 strawberries will cost you $ 83, and three melon can reach the value of $ 419.

This price is not only perfect, but also for work of growing such fruit. The owners of greenhouses are working round the clock, 365 days a year, providing the right amount of nutrients and maintaining the desired temperature. And all of these efforts may take on the cultivation of a single instance.

4. Most berries are not berries


We tend to think that strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, raspberries are the berries. However, according to the botanical definition, many fruits, berries, which we believe, those are not.

Berry - is a fruit that has a meaty contents and the outer shell and is formed from the ovary of the plant. This means that the grapes, avocados, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes are also botanically berries.


Cranberries, blueberries and gooseberries are so-called "false berries", that is, they are formed from the ovary plant, but not from the top of the ovary, so that they could be classified as true berries. In addition, these berries are formed in part of the receptacle, which also excludes them from the category of true berries.

Raspberries and blackberries are actually "drupes", ie, fleshy fruit with a thin skin, containing several seeds with a hard shell.

There are also complex fruit, that is, of a single flower appears more than one fetus. Strawberry is a false fruit, meaning it formed from the ovary tissue of the ovary or ovaries, skin that has structures called achenes.

5. Orange Orange is usually not


In its natural form in the warm mellow countries where oranges are grown, their outer layer contains a lot of chlorophyll, giving them a green color.

In cooler areas the chlorophyll is destroyed just as the leaves on the trees, and emerges orange pulp. That green oranges are ripe, and those who turn to orange, have already passed the peak of ripeness.


However, people are still accustomed to associate with immature green fruit, oranges and many artificially converted into orange, exposing them to rapid freezing and exposed to ethylene gas to get rid of chlorophyll in the skin.

6. Cherry, who tricked the devil


Kornelieva cherry or dogwood is one of the most ancient fruit with a long history. When the texts of ancient Greece, Rome and Persia mentioned cherry, meaning it dogwood.

It is used in syrups, compotes and jams, as well as in the manufacture of wine and vodka, but rarely used in fresh form.


In Turkey, there is a legend that when Satan came to this country, he saw that the dogwood trees blooming early, decided that they used to give fruit. He sat under a tree and waited while the other trees around bloom and bear fruit. At the end, when he discovered that the dogwood trees produce fruit after all at the end of the summer, he was seriously angry.

Until now, dogwood called "Shaitanova berry" or tree that Satan deceived.

7. Watermelon has long been a source of water


The fruit of the watermelon from the point of view of botany is a berry with a thick crust and flesh inside.

Now we eat watermelon mainly as a snack on a hot summer day. However, initially they were grown in a very practical purpose. One of the first references to the cultivation of watermelon can be found in Egyptian hieroglyphs, which more than 5000 years. He also referred to the culture of Asia, India and the Mediterranean.


The famous Scottish explorer David Livingstone discovered the watermelon field in Africa. Watermelon grows in dry areas, and for a long time it was not just a meal. Since 90 percent of watermelon is water in many arid regions of Africa, it was used as a water source. Researchers wore it as a natural water bottles.

Another benefit of watermelon is the fact that it is waste-free, and all its parts are edible.

Besides eating juicy pulp, using seeds that are roasted, and bark, used to make jam or salted.

8. "Who eats an apple a day, the doctor does not have to happen»


You may have heard this saying, and there are plenty of scientific evidence that regular consumption of apples is very good for health.

For example, one study showed that consuming a handful of dried apples for six months reduces the level of bad cholesterol and promotes weight loss.

In addition to those who eat apples, reduces the risk of stroke, improved respiratory function, and it is easier to maintain a healthy weight.


Apples reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer twice, improve brain function and cellular health, prevent the development of dementia, and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Ordinary apples are often overshadowed by more fashionable fruit, but history suggests that the beneficial properties of apples have been known for centuries. So the remains of apples found in prehistoric settlements relating to 6500 BC

9. Forbidden fruit is always sweeter than chimpanzees


We are all familiar with the biblical story of Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit, but it turns out that the idea of ​​forbidden fruit is the exciting factor for chimpanzees.

Researchers from the University of Stirling in Scotland studied the courtship habits of chimpanzees in the wild and found that females mate more frequently offered, if a male brought them fruit. But not just any fruit, but the one that was stolen from the land of people.

Scientists suggest that females are not attracted to the food itself, and rebellious behavior, but people they never seriously threatened.

10. Guarana contains 2 times more caffeine than coffee


If you look at the composition of many energy drinks, you will find the list of ingredients guarana.

According to legend, the unusual fruit grew out of the dead boy's eyes, and guarana, really looks like a bloodshot eyeball. Guarana is also used as an aphrodisiac, usually in the form of a drink with nuts and eggs of birds.

European missionaries in the 17th century in Brazil noticed that the locals used the berry, which not only gave them energy, but also allowed them for days without food.


Guarana became Colonial sell products that allegedly protect against disease, but in large quantities causes insomnia. The caffeine in guarana is different from the caffeine in coffee.

Guarana contains chemical ingredients called tannins, which cause a more lasting effect than caffeine from other sources.

For centuries, guarana berries pulverized and smoked for a long process. Drink from guarana passed each other in the vessel during official events and meetings that is different from the modern habit of swallowing a gulp energy drinks.