Not Hot, Not Cold, Just Warm Knowledge

What we commonly bite into as the fleshy part of a fruit might not actually be the flesh in the eyes of botanists. The most classic example is the strawberry. Many people think the big, red, sweet, and juicy main body of a strawberry is the flesh, but it's actually just the plant's receptacle. The true fruit of a strawberry is the tiny black specks on the surface, resembling sesame seeds. Each speck is an independent fruit, containing seeds within. So, when you eat a strawberry, you're actually eating an enlarged receptacle along with hundreds of tiny fruits. Another interesting example is the apple. The sweet flesh we peel and bite into is actually an enlarged structure formed by the fusion of the calyx and the base of the petals, botanically called a pome. So where is the apple's true fruit? The answer lies in the core, which we often discard. That hard part containing the seeds is the true fruit, developed from the ovary. Besides strawberries and apples, pears, Asian pears, and even pineapples have similar structures. The next time you eat these fruits, take a closer look. The flesh you're eating might be completely different from what you imagined.