20+ Fruit Names in English with Properties
The common fruit names have a long and interesting history. Many were named after fruits from the Old World because it was believed that these plants could not grow in America until Christopher Columbus returned from his voyages with a bounty of new discoveries.
List of Fruit Names in Details
Apple
Apples are a sweet taste fruit that comes in many different colors- red, green, yellow, and orange. They are known for their high vitamin content which provides humans with health benefits.
The apple was the first fruit to be cultivated by early man over 12,000 years ago in Iraq. Since then, apples have been grown throughout Europe and are now one of the most popular fruits in the United States.
Mangoes
Mangoes are sweet and tangy fruit that grows in a large green or red oblong shape. They are widely consumed throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America for their unique taste and silky texture.
The mango is native to India but has recently been imported to other tropical regions including Florida where it is now grown during the winter months. The name itself comes from the Indian language of Sanskrit.
Bananas
Bananas are curved fruit with brown skin and pale yellow insides. Bananas grow in bunches and are eaten raw as well as cooked into many dishes such as banana bread or plantains.
Bananas originate from Southeast Asia and were brought to Western cultures by travelers who discovered them 4,000 years ago on prehistoric trading routes.
Peaches
Peaches are smooth-skinned fruit with a fuzzy exterior known for their juicy insides and sweet taste. They are most often eaten raw or dried but can also be baked into pies, made into jam, or used to flavor water and vinegar.
The peach is believed to have originated in China thousands of years ago where it was revered as the “Food of the Gods”. From China, they were brought to Persia then Greece around 100 AD after Alexander the Great’s conquests.
Lemons/Limes
Lemons/limes are citrus fruits that grow on trees with bumpy green leaves and a yellow interior. They are strongly acidic and can be used as a flavoring or to add sourness to food.
Lemons/limes have been cultivated for thousands of years in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East as protection from illness and infection. In 1493 after Christopher Columbus brought them back from the New World they were quickly transformed into popular trading items by the Spanish.
Watermelon
Watermelons are large fruit with pinkish-red skin and sweet white insides filled with dark black seeds. They are often enjoyed during summer barbecues or at festivals throughout the US.
The watermelon is actually native to Africa where it was first grown 9,000 years ago near the banks of the Niger River. From Africa, they were brought to Europe by the slave trade and eventually brought to America by African slaves during colonial times.
Cherries
Cherries are small fruit with a red exterior and stone in the middle. They can be eaten alone or made into pies, processed into sauces, or used as garnishes for desserts.
The cherry is native to Asia but have been popularized throughout Europe and North America since ancient times when Romans planted them all over their empire and traded them with Greeks and early Britons.
Guava
Guavas are fruit covered in a green skin with white flesh and very few seeds. They can be eaten raw, baked into pies, or made into jams and jellies.
The guava is native to Central America where they have been consumed for thousands of years by indigenous peoples. From Central America, they were brought to the Caribbean by Spanish explorers in the early 1500s when European contact was first being made in the Americas.
Lychee
Lychees are small red-brown fruit with bumpy skin that covers sweet juicy insides that taste similar to grapes. In Chinese medicine, lychees have long been used as a treatment for cholera and dysentery among other things due to their high levels of Vitamin C and antioxidants.
The lychee is native to China where it has been cultivated for over 4,000 years as a delicacy for both the poor and emperors alike. In 1800 they were brought back to England by Scottish botanist Robert Fortune after he realized the great potential they had as an export crop throughout Southeast Asia.
Passionfruit
Passionfruits are egg-shaped fruit with yellowish-orange skin and many black seeds on the inside. They contain a tangy-sweet pulp that can be eaten raw or used in jellies and juices. Passionfruit tea is also popular worldwide for its health benefits such as aiding digestion or calming nerves; however, there is still no scientific evidence these claims are true.
The passionfruit is native to Brazil and Paraguay where it was consumed by indigenous peoples for thousands of years before European contact. In the late 1700s, they were brought to Australia from Brazil by a group of settlers who were then called “passionate” about their discovery.
Pears
Pears are soft fruit with a brownish-green exterior covered in a layer of fuzz. They can be eaten raw or cooked into desserts such as pies and crisps because when baked they turn very sweet and lose most of their firmness.
Wild pears have been growing in Asia since prehistoric times where they became popular among hunters because when ripe they would fall to the ground making them easier to pick compared to other fruit. They were not planted in gardens until the flowering crab apple was brought to Europe from China by missionaries who studied abroad during the late 1600s.
Strawberries
Strawberries are sweet fruit topped with tiny green seeds that grow on red fleshy stalks. When eaten raw they taste very tangy but when cooked into desserts, especially strawberry shortcakes, their flavor becomes much more subtle and balanced out by other ingredients such as shortcakes or whipped cream.
The wild strawberry has been growing throughout Asia since prehistoric times where over time many different types evolved depending on the region’s climate and environment which lead to various sizes, shapes, flavors, and colors of strawberries just like today.
Oranges
Oranges are a fruit that looks like large lemons with thin orange-yellow skin and very juicy flesh. They can be eaten raw, baked into cakes and pies, made into jams and jellies, brewed as tea, or even squeezed to make juice.
The orange tree is native to Asia where it was cultivated since prehistoric times by Buddhists at Buddhist monasteries who experimented with grafting techniques to create new kinds of oranges with desirable flavors and textures such as the sweet Valencia orange which became popular throughout the Mediterranean region.
Taramind
Taraminds are small brown seeds covered in a powdery-sweet sticky pulp that can be eaten by itself or used as an ingredient in various dishes and sauces. In Indian cuisine, they are boiled with sugarcane juice to make a sweet-and-sour candy called “amchur.”
The tamarind is native to Africa and Asia where it has been grown for thousands of years due to its medicinal properties such as being a stimulant, digestive aid, and mild laxative. It was brought to Europe during the slave trade around the 17th century when slaves that escaped from Haiti told tales about how they made a sour syrup out of seeds they chewed on while working under the sun.
Blackberry
Blackberries are small round fruits that grow on thorny bushes and can be eaten raw, baked into desserts such as pies, made into jams and jellies, or brewed as tea.
The blackberry has been growing throughout Europe and Asia since prehistoric times where it was originally used for medicinal purposes like relieving diarrhea and inflammation and became popular as a wild food among hunters who ate them because they were easy to find.
Blueberries
Blueberries are small round blue fruits that grow on bushes and can be eaten raw or cooked into desserts, jams, jellies, pies, and baked goods.
The blueberry is native to North America where it has been cultivated since prehistoric times as a food source for Native Americans who were the first to make blueberry jam by simmering them with sugar until they become soft enough to eat. In the late 18th century, European settlers learned from natives how to cultivate wild berries which eventually lead to an increase in the production of cultivated blueberries throughout North America.
List of Fruit Names (Images)
