Food trivia | 100 facts about fruits (part 1)

Fruits are tasty, full of energy, and normally used as snacks. We all have one (or maybe more) favorite fruit. But how many things do we know about them?

Well let’s find out more about them!

1. The strawberry is also known as garden strawberry.
2. It is a hybrid species.
3. It belongs to the genus Fragaria.
4. This is why strawberry’s botanical name is “Fragaria ananassa.”
5. Strawberry is a member of the rose family.
6. The strawberry plant is a perennial.
7. So if you plant one now, it will come back next year and the following and the year after that.
8. Strawberries are cultivated worldwide for their fruit.
9. The fruit is widely appreciated for its characteristic aroma, bright red color, juicy texture, and sweetness.
10. Its color normally is red.
11. Even though its name has it, strawberry is not a berry.
12. In 2017, the world production of strawberries was 9.2 million tonnes.
13. China led the way by producing 40% of the total.
14. The very first garden strawberry was grown in Brittany, France.
15. This happened during the late 18th century.
16. Prior to this, wild strawberries and cultivated selections from wild strawberry species were the common sources of the fruit.
17. Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen each spring.
18. Unlike some other fruits, they don’t continue to ripen after being picked.
19. There are 200 seeds on an average strawberry.
20. Strawberries are the only fruit that wears their seeds on the outside.
21. Belgium has a museum dedicated to strawberries.
22. There is beer made out of… strawberry!
23. The ancient Romans thought strawberries had medicinal powers.
24. They used them to treat everything from depression to fainting to fever, kidney stones, bad breath, and sore throats.
25. It is believed that strawberries are… aphrodisiac.
26. Strawberries contain high levels of nitrate.
27. Research suggests that people who load up on strawberries before exercising have greater endurance and burn more calories.
28. Strawberries contain more vitamin C than oranges!
29. According to a legend, if you cut a double strawberry into two and share the other part with the opposite gender, you would soon fall in love.
30. Coconut is a fruit that comes from the coconut tree.
31. The coconut tree is a member of the palm tree family.
32. The scientific name of the coconut tree is Cocos nucifera.
33. The coconut tree can grow up to 25 meters high.
34. The coconut botanically is a drupe, not a nut.
35. The name coconut is actually a combination of nut and the Portuguese word coco.
36. Coconut grenades used to exist.
37. These weapons were used in World War II.
38. They were used by the Japanese.
39. During World War 2, coconut water was also used to treat dehydration due to short medical supplies.
40. In 2011, Ho Eng Hui managed to pierce 4 coconuts in 12.15 seconds in Milan.
41. He set a world record.
42. The natives of the Kiribati islands, who used woven coconut string to build their suits.
43. Coconuts, in different forms, are anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-parasite.
44. The recommended daily amount of fiber an adult should have is 25grams.
45. The coconut palm is actually the national… tree of The Maldives.
46. In 2013 police in the Maldives took possession of a coconut.
47. The reason was that the police believed that it had been cursed with black magic.
48. In 2016 there were over 59 million tons of coconuts produced worldwide.
49. Falling coconuts are considered as an official cause of death.
50. The amount of deaths caused by falling coconuts is small.
51. Coconut water on average contains 94% water.
52. This water contains around 46 calories a cup.
53. A coconut tree can have up to 180 coconuts harvested during a single harvest.
54. The largest producers of coconuts are Indonesia, the Philippines, and India.
55. The coconut bra, famous for being a feature of the Hawaiian hula girl, is actually not native to Hawaii.
56. The garment is a western idea that is not an authentic Hawaiian item.
57. Researchers are investigating whether coconut husks can be used as a low-cost solution to building material in the Philippines.
58. There is a bar of famous chocolate with coconut filling named “Bounty”.
59. Coconut oil exists, and it is very famous amongst celebrities.
60. A cherry is the fruit of many plants.
61. It belongs to the genus Prunus.
62. Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species.
63. The name ‘cherry’ also refers to the cherry tree and its wood.
64. Sometimes it applies to almonds and visually similar flowering trees in the genus Prunus.
65. Wild cherry may refer to any of the cherry species growing outside cultivation.
66. Cherry trees require a certain number of chilling hours each year to break dormancy and bloom and produce fruit.
67. Cherries blossom in April in the Northern Hemisphere.
68. The peak season for the cherry harvest is in the summer.
69. In southern Europe, it’s time to harvest them in June, whereas in England in mid-July.
70. In an average crop year, a sweet cherry tree will produce 800 cherries.
71. Archaeologists have discovered fossilized cherry pits in prehistoric caves throughout Europe and Asia.
72. The earliest written mention of cherries comes from the Greek author Theophrastus.
73. There are more than 500 varieties of sweet cherries.
74. Around 20 or so altogether are used in commercial production.
75. For a few years in the late ‘80s, the U.S. led the world in cherry production.
76. In 1990, Turkey claimed the title.
77. Today it produces 535,000 tons annually to the U.S.’s 345,000.
78. The word “cherry” may be originated from ancient Greek.
79. January 3rd is National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day in the U.S.A.
80. Michigan hosts official cherry pit-spitting contests.
81. Traverse City in Michigan celebrates the annual National Cherry Festival since 1925.
82. Records indicate that cherries were a prized food in a region of China dating back to 600 BC.
83. They have long been a popular dessert fruit.
84. Also, some kind of really sweet cherries is used at the top of a cake to decorate it.
85. Cherries were used for their medicinal purposes in the 15th and 16th centuries.
86. The world’s heaviest cherry was grown by Gerardo Maggipinto in Italy.
87. It weighed 0.76 oz and it was harvested on June 21 in 2003.
88. Canada holds the record of baking the largest cherry – pie in the world!
89. Maraschino cherries are usually used when making cocktails.
90. Cherries are like bodyguards.
91. They slow down aging and ward off chronic illnesses- including heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and obesity.
92. Cranberries are one of the few fruits native to North America.
93. Cranberries have small pockets where air seeps into that allows them to float.
94. Cranberries do not grow in water.
95. Cranberries are approximately 90% water.
96. Cranberries are typically in season from October until December.
97. Cranberries can be used as fabric dyes.
98. Cranberries have many health benefits such as preventing urinary tract infections, aiding in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and helping slow down tumor progression.
99. Only about 5% of cranberries are sold fresh while the rest is turned into cranberry juice, sauce, etc.
100. One cup to cranberries is about 50 calories.