Your favourite strawberry is actually not a berry: Here is why
Who doesn’t enjoy relishing a bowl full of fresh, sweet and sour berries? Berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. are known for their refreshing aroma, bright colours, and delectable taste. Grind them into a juice, add them to your breakfast bowl, top your cheesecake with a berry compote or simply snack on them, berries do it all for you. They are extremely nutritious and contain high levels of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. In grocery stores, we usually see limited types of berries, but there are several other species throughout the world (more than 400 species)! But did you know that some of the so-called berries are not really berries?
Why aren’t strawberries berries?
You might be surprised to know that strawberry is not a berry at all! Neither are raspberry nor blackberry! So, why do we call them berries then? Well, humans began referring to some fruits as ‘berries’ thousands of years before scientists came up with a specific definition for the term. Berries are typically thought of as little, mushy fruits that may be picked from plants, but the scientific classification is far more complex. This is where the confusion arises from.
As per botanists, a berry must have 3 distinct layers: the exocarp (outside skin), mesocarp (fleshy middle), and the endocarp (innermost part). A real berry must be a fleshy fruit with a seed or seeds inserted on the inside that develops from the ovaries of a single flower. But if we look at strawberries, the seeds are not embedded in the flesh, but studded on the outside of the fruit. Yes, those dots we see on a strawberry are its seeds! Strawberries, therefore, are not true berries!
If a strawberry is not a berry, what is it?
Botanists refer to strawberries as ‘accessory fruits’ or ‘aggregate fruits’ meaning multiple fruits combine to form one final fruit. Blackberry and raspberry are other examples of ‘aggregated fruits.’ Since these berries grow from parts of the plant other than the flowers, they are also known as pseudocarps (false fruits). So, if strawberries are not real berries, then which fruits are technically berries?
Grape is a good example of a true berry. Its outer skin is an exocarp, it is fleshy in the middle (mesocarp), and the jelly inside holds the seeds (endocarp). Some other examples of true berries are blueberries, cranberries, elderberries, bearberry, crowberry, gooseberries, bananas, and avocado.
Fruits vs. vegetables
There is no scientific definition for vegetables. Actually, the term ‘vegetable’ is not used in botany. Yes, you read that right. As surprising as it sounds, according to the botanical definition, any seed-bearing structure that develops from the ovary of a plant is called fruit. Therefore, all the vegetables that have seeds are technically fruits. Thus, cucumbers, courgettes, zucchini, pumpkin, eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers are a few examples of vegetables that are actually fruits.