What is Really a Berry and What is a Nut?

In everyday life, we often use the terms “berry” and “nut” to refer to specific fruits, based on their appearance or culinary properties. However, from a botanical perspective, many of these fruits belong to entirely different categories. Understanding botanical classifications not only broadens our horizons but also allows us to better appreciate the diversity and complexity of the plant world.

In culinary terms and everyday usage, berries are usually understood as small, juicy, or fleshy fruits that can be eaten whole without prior preparation. Nuts, on the other hand, refer to edible fruits with a hard shell and an edible kernel inside. But botany operates with more precise and strict definitions that often differ from our usual perceptions.

This article explores which fruits we know are truly berries and nuts and which are not, supported by interesting facts and examples.

What is really a berry?

According to botany, a berry is a multi-seeded, juicy fruit that develops from a single flower with a single ovary and has a thin skin. Inside the berry, seeds are distributed in the fleshy pulp. Examples of true berries include tomatoes, grapes, and blueberries.

Unexpected berries

• Tomato: Often considered a vegetable, the tomato is actually a berry. Its juicy pulp and seeds fully align with the botanical definition of a berry.
• Banana: Despite lacking visible seeds, the banana is also classified as a berry. Its seeds are significantly reduced and barely noticeable.
• Kiwi: This exotic fruit with fuzzy skin and green pulp is also a berry.
• Watermelon and melon: Though commonly referred to as fruits or gourds, they are berries from a botanical standpoint, known as “pepos.”
• Eggplant: Also known as “aubergine,” the eggplant is a berry. Its pulp contains numerous small seeds.
• Pomegranate: Despite its complex internal structure, the pomegranate is classified as a multi-seeded berry.
• Persimmon: This sweet fruit with fleshy pulp and seeds inside is also a berry.
• Avocado: Botanically, the avocado is a large berry with a single seed stone.

Fruits mistakenly considered berries

• Strawberry: Actually a aggregate fruit, where each “seed” on the surface is a separate nutlet, and the red fleshy part is an expanded receptacle.
• Raspberry and blackberry: These fruits are classified as aggregate drupes. Each “bump” on their surface is a small drupe with its own stone inside.
• Rosehip: Its fruits are aggregate nutlets enclosed in a fleshy hypanthium. The seeds inside are true nutlets.
• Cloudberry: Also known as arctic bramble, its fruits are aggregate drupes, not berries.

Interesting facts about berries

1. Bell pepper: Sweet bell pepper is also a berry from a botanical perspective. Its juicy pulp and seeds meet the definition.
2. Elderberry: Its berries contain cyanogenic glycosides and can be toxic when raw but become safe after cooking and are used in jams and syrups.
3. Blueberries and bilberries: Often confused with each other, both are true berries and rich in antioxidants.
4. Papaya: This tropical fruit with soft orange pulp and many black seeds inside is also a berry.
5. Feijoa: An exotic fruit with fragrant pulp and small seeds classified as a berry.
6. Grapes: One of the best-known examples of berries. Its juicy pulp and thin skin perfectly match the botanical definition.

What is really a nut?

A nut is a dry single-seeded fruit with a hard woody shell that does not open when ripe. It develops from a lower ovary and contains one seed inside.

True nuts

• Hazelnut: A classic example of a true nut. Its hard shell and single seed inside align with the botanical definition.
• Acorns: Though less commonly eaten by humans, acorns are typical nuts.
• Chestnuts: Not to be confused with horse chestnuts, true edible chestnuts are also nuts.
• Beech nuts: The fruits of the beech tree, small triangular nuts, are edible and rich in oils.
• Water chestnut (trapa): This aquatic plant’s fruits are true nuts with a hard shell and edible kernel.

Fruits mistakenly considered nuts

• Peanut: A legume plant, its fruit is a pod that develops underground.
• Almond: A seed of a drupe, like peaches or plums.
• Cashew: A seed attached to a fleshy stalk known as the “cashew apple.” The seed is surrounded by a toxic shell requiring special processing.
• Pine nuts: Seeds of cones from some pine species, not nuts in the botanical sense.
• Pecan: Though resembling nuts, pecans are drupes.
• Pistachios: Seeds of a drupe with a hard shell that opens upon ripening.
• Macassar nut (nutmeg): The seed of the nutmeg tree, not a true nut.

Interesting facts about nuts

1. Hazelnut: One of the oldest cultivated nuts, used in Ancient Greece and Rome over 5,000 years ago.
2. Acorns: Historically a vital food source for many cultures, including Native Americans and Ancient Greeks, used to make flour for bread and porridge.
3. Chestnuts: Unlike most nuts, chestnuts are low in fat and high in carbohydrates, vitamin C, and fiber. In Europe, roasting chestnuts during winter holidays is a cherished tradition.
4. Beech nuts: Edible and rich in oils, but they contain small amounts of a toxic substance—fagin—so it’s recommended to consume them in moderation and after heat treatment.
5. Water chestnut (trapa): Its fruits have an unusual shape, resembling a bull's head or a bat, making them popular talismans in some cultures. The seeds are edible after boiling or roasting and have a sweet taste.
6. Kola nuts: Contain natural caffeine and were used as a stimulant in West Africa. Extracts of kola nuts were ingredients in the original recipes of popular carbonated beverages like Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

Conclusion

Understanding that many “nuts” are not true nuts is important for people with allergies. For example, a peanut allergy does not necessarily mean an allergy to hazelnuts or almonds.

Knowledge of botanical classification can be helpful in dietetics. For example, people avoiding sugar due to diabetes may respond differently to fruits and berries.

Understanding classifications aids in plant cultivation, as different types of fruits require varying conditions and care methods.

The world of plants is incredibly diverse and full of surprises. What we commonly call berries and nuts often do not match botanical definitions. Understanding these differences not only enriches our knowledge but also deepens our appreciation for nature's complexity and elegance. Next time you enjoy a handful of “nuts” or a bowl of “berries,” you can smile, knowing that things are not as simple as they seem.

We invite you to explore the world of fruits and discover even more amazing facts about what we eat every day!