15 fruits we eat but don't know how they grow

The current pace of development of international trade allows us to recognize and taste more and more exotic vegetables and fruits... Some of them have become an integral part of home cooking recipes. But how many people know how these outlandish fruits grow in their natural habitat? In this article, we'll take a look at 15 of the most popular foreign cultures.

Capers

In fact, capers cannot be called fruits. They are all in all buds of thorny caper grass, which have not yet blossomed. If you do not pick off the buds in advance, then they will bloom in a pale white color. After that, real fruits appear, but they are inferior in their taste to young buds.

Thorny caper is a fairly resistant plant, its root system grows up to 20 m and can reach groundwater. He loves rocky areas, grows in cracks and chipped walls. Its homeland can be considered Central Asia, but nowadays capers are grown en masse in the Mediterranean, where the local cuisine considers capers to be the main ingredient in dishes. It is noteworthy that initially capers were added to the popularly beloved Olivier. Capers can often be found on the territory of the Crimea and the Caucasus.

Fig

Figs are native to India and the shores of the Mediterranean. Fruits can grow both on trees and shrubs. The trees on which these useful fruits grow are called fig trees. There is another ancient biblical name - fig tree. Usually trees and shrubs braid all river banks with their branches. But they can also grow on mountain heights, at an altitude of up to 2000 m above sea level.

Large-scale cultivation of this crop is carried out in Turkey, Tunisia, Greece. In Russia, figs are grown in the south of the country, because the fig tree cannot withstand frosts below 10 degrees. However, the fig tree is sometimes grown at home.

Papaya

The tree on which this exotic fruit grows is often called the melon tree. It grows, as a rule, in Mexico and South America. Papaya grows only with a steady plus. This palm-like tree can reach a height of 15 m. The trunk is empty inside, the leaves extend from the crown of the plant and can reach 1 m in length. The tree can be considered heterosexual. The flowers of the plant differ by gender. It is noteworthy that female and male flower species do not coexist on the same tree. But if there is a sharp jump in temperature, then the sex of the flowers may change.

Brazilian nut

Most often, the tree can be found in Brazil and other parts of South America. Brazil nuts are one of the largest flora on planet Earth. In height, it can reach 35-45 meters, the trunk is about 2m in diameter

Bertolethia can live up to 500 years, although locals claim that the giant nut can live for a millennium.

The fruits of this tree can only be harvested in their natural environment, for example, in the forests of Bolivia, where nuts-seeds grow in a voluminous and weighty box.

Pitahaya (dragon fruit)

This exotic liana tree distantly resembles a cactus. But its shape is not quite usual - curly. Pitahaya is cultivated in Central and South America, as well as in the countries of Southeast Asia. The tree has a high yield. Dragon fruit can bear fruit up to 6 times per year.

The fruit of the tree is distinguished by a soft creamy heart and a sweet taste. Among other things, the tree blooms only at night.

Wasabi

This famous Japanese dish is extracted from the root system of the eutreme perennial. The short grass reaches a height of no more than 50 cm, but its root grows even more slowly - about 3 cm per year. Therefore, in order for the root of a plant to be suitable for harvesting, it must grow for at least 3 years. Wasabi is often compared to horseradish, partly for good reason, because they belong to the same family.

It is noteworthy that there is a "real" and "fake" wasabi. The first grows naturally, along wet coastal areas. Its root is distinguished by a gradation of taste from pungent to hot-spicy. Wasabi, which is grown in gardens and plantations, is very different from its relative in usefulness and taste. True, the price of "garden" wasabi is also much lower than the original.

Turmeric

Perennial turmeric can grow up to 1 m in height. The largest volume of this spice is grown in South and East Asia.

Only the root portion is used to prepare the final product. The plant itself is distinguished by delicate flowering and rich foliage that grows directly from the ground. Turmeric blooms for almost 90 days, so today this plant can be found in a home flower garden.

Carnation

One of the most popular spices in the world, cloves, comes from young tree buds. These large trees are native to Madagascar and can grow up to 20 m in height.

You can harvest carnation buds twice a year. The collection is carried out manually, but it is not particularly laborious, hence the low price of the final product. The spice can be grown indoors, but this is not an easy process.

Avocado

Avocados cannot be fully called a fruit or a vegetable. Science calls its fruit a drupe. Avocado grows in the tropics, on evergreen trees that reach 15 m in height. For growing fruits on plantations, trees are cut and made not too high in order to make it easier to pick berries.

It is noteworthy that the fruit, remaining on the tree, does not become fully ripe. After removing it from the branches, he continues to sing for another 10 days. Therefore, do not be alarmed that the avocado you bought in the store is too tight, it should be "grown" in a dark and dry place.

Black pepper

Not a single dish is complete without this seasoning. Black pepper grows on an evergreen liana belonging to the pepper family.

Black pepper, which is also called the Malabar berry, does not naturally grow on its own. Liana twines around thick trees, and can stretch up to 15 m.

On plantations, lianas are erected with special supports and trellises. Interestingly, black pepper is green at first. Then the berries turn black, just in this state we are used to seeing the well-known seasoning. But if the peel of the berry is overdried, then it is removed and only the middle is used - this is how white pepper is obtained. Its taste is not so pronounced, but the aroma is more spicy than that of the black species.

Quinoa

Quinoa is a tall herbaceous plant. The stiff stem can be up to 4m in height. The plant has rounded leaves and large flowers. There are many types of quinoa, but only three are bred to be marketed.

The ancient Incas were very fond of using healthy grains for food. They even received the name "golden grains". More recently, quinoa has reappeared in widespread use, especially among health enthusiasts. But in addition to its beneficial properties, quinoa is a strong allergic irritant, so you need to be very careful when introducing this product into your diet.

Vanilla

There is a misconception that real vanilla has something to do with supermarket vanilla. This seasoning has incomparable aromas and a high price tag, since the vanilla extraction process is very laborious.

The liana-like plant wraps around tree trunks and grows up to 15 m in height.Vanilla leaves grow immediately from a thin stem, and its flowers vaguely resemble orchids, although they bloom for only 1 day. An interesting fact is that the fetus appears after 9! months after fertilization has occurred. The whole problem lies in the process itself. Vanilla is pollinated by a hummingbird and bees, but only of a certain species living in Mexico. As a result, a pod-shaped fruit with seeds inside grows - this is an expensive spice. Man has come up with a manual way to pollinate vanilla, but it is not always successful.

Ginger

Herbaceous perennial practically does not occur in its natural habitat. Numerous volumes of the spicy root are grown on plantations in Southeast Asia. Ginger flowers have an interesting color and shape.

It is noteworthy that ginger was originally used in the fight against the plague. This was a very expensive drug. Much later, ginger conquered the cuisines of the world, especially Asian.

Pistachios

Anyone will answer without hesitation that pistachios are nuts. But this is not the case. Science considers the fruits of this plant to be drupe seeds. On small trees, the fruits ripen for 5 months.

In its natural habitat, the pistachio tree can be found in Asia and North-West Africa. For industrial purposes, pistachios are cultivated even in Europe.

The age of a common pistachio tree can reach 400 years.

Cinnamon

The spicy cinnamon that we used to add to aromatic baked goods is obtained from the inside of the bark of the cinnamon tree. Cultivated plantings of cinnamon look like even plantings of small trees, from which the bark is removed twice a year.

The process of removing the bark itself is very difficult. You must wait for the right weather.

Cinnamon is native to the island of Sri Lanka, but is currently cultivated in Brazil and India.