10 Fruits, Nuts, and Vegetables You Didn’t Know Were Man-Made

by World's Top Insider Team
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Fruits, nuts and vegetables are gifts from nature to us. They are a blessing from God but since the rise of technology and innovation humans have tried to experiment with things. With many other things, they have also tried to experiment with vegetables, fruits and nuts which are produced by man-made procedures like hybridisation and natural processes like cross-breeding through pollination and efforts of honeybees. These procedures have blessed us with some juicy and delicious fruits and vegetables that are nutritious and healthy for our diet.

We’ll delve into details about ten fruits, vegetables and nuts that are made through the efforts of mankind:

10) Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Kale:

Source: Vox

The fascinating story of Brassica Oleracea reveals through the modern process of selective breeding and hybridisation numerous vegetables are created which we enjoy in our meals today. This happened in Ancient Roman and Greek times when they first recognized the potential of wild mustard as a food source. Later, they initiated this procedure of selective breeding by planting seeds with larger leaves.

The process was initiated in 1600 and with time, it resulted in the first vegetable with large leaves i.e. Cabbage. Further manipulation of the process led to the creation of different varieties of vegetables belonging to the same genre like Kohlrabi, Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts. 

This hybridization contributed to the 20th century when scientists experimented with many vegetables by inter-breeding Brassica Oleracea.

 

9) Orange:

The Orange has a very fascinating story. It’s astounding to know this citrus fruit that we consume daily is a man-made creation. It is a hybrid between two ancient fruits i-e Pomelo and Mandarin. The Pomelo is an ancient fruit that is large and tastes bitter just like grapefruit. Meanwhile, Mandarin is an orange-colored fruit that has a sweet taste. The origin of oranges dates back to its first appearance in southern China. The farmers hybridized all the genres of citrus fruits because they all looked alike and created unique and wonderful fruits that we enjoy today.

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8) Peanut:

photography of brown nuts

The peanut that we enjoy a lot is a hybrid of two ancient types of peanuts i-e Arachis Ipaenis and Duranensis. These peanuts were first discovered in Bolivia and Argentina by the South Americans. The natural crossbreeding through bees between these two generas gave rise to the peanuts that we enjoy today.

 

7) Banana:

The bananas are fruits that are made from man’s ingenuity, intervention and selective breeding. The two species of wild bananas i-e Musa Acuminata and Balbisiana were naturally crossbred in South Asia. Bananas can only be grown with the help of shoots, so the main source of bananas is replanting them because there are no seeds of Bananas. All the bananas belong to the same genre so they can be vulnerable to any disease that could wipe off all the genera from the world.

 

6) Almond:

shallow focus photography of almonds in white ceramic bowl

The almonds are the creation of human ingenuity and selective breeding. However, its origins are unknown. Wild almonds have bitter and toxic properties, which don’t taste good and can be deadly due to poisonous properties. Despite these characteristics, it’s surprising how with enthusiasm and determination humans have created these almonds that are delicious and full of rich and healthy qualities. This almond belongs to the genera Amygdalus Fenzliana due to its resemblance and was first found in Azerbaijan and Armenia.

 

5) Grapefruit:

slice fruits on blue plate

The grapefruits belonging to the citrus family are a hybrid of oranges and pomelo. According to history, Captain Shaddock in 1693 brought pomelo seeds from the West Indies and planted them near some orange trees. Over time, the cross-pollination occurred either naturally or through bees between pomelo and orange trees. This cross-pollination bestowed us with a new fruit which we call grapefruit today. Initially, the grapefruit was named after “Shaddocks” and was popular in Caribbean islands. Later, Europeans discovered it and named it “Forbidden Fruit”. 

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The name “Grapefruit” came from a planter in Jamaica who noticed that the fruit resembled the clusters of grapes during its growth phase, hence the name.

 

4) Boysenberry: 

The boysenberry is a type of fruit that is a hybrid of blackberry and raspberry. It has a unique sweet taste with a hint of tanginess in flavor. Boysenberries are dark purple and have a juicy consistency. They were first introduced by Rudolph Boysen in 1923. He was a horticulturist who experimented with grafting different berry vines at his in-laws’ location. He finally crafted boysenberry and gave this berry his name.

 

3) Tangelo:

a person knitting yarn with oranges in the background

The tangelo is a unique fruit which belongs to the citrus family. It is a combination of tangerine and pomelo. Its different varieties are confusing, some people think it’s the hybridization between oranges and mandarin and some think they are a unique by-product of the hybridization between tangerine and pomelo. The history of tangelo fascinates us with many facts and figures, it is believed that tangelos first emerged in Southeast Asia almost 3500 years ago. These were the result of cross-pollination between Mandarin and a fruit from the citrus family. 

However, the tangelos that are available today are due to efforts of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which played a genuine role in developing the Tangelo with careful breeding.

 

2) Carrots:

carrots on table

The carrots belong to the family of parsnips, parsley and dill. They were not orange in color as they are available today. Instead, they were white and purple. Carrots started cultivation in ancient Persia (Iran) over thousands of years ago. The Persians chose to breed the carrots and with overtime, the carrots underwent natural mutation. This mutation caused changes in color i-e the carrots went from white and purple color to yellowish and later orange in color. This color of carrots comes from beta-carotene, a pigment that is converted to Vitamin A in the body. Carrots are rich in fibers and their crunchy texture is due to high amounts of water, about 87%. 

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Today, China is the world’s largest carrot producer with over 40% of global production around the globe. They are usually harvested in cool-season crops and can be as long as 19 feet long.

1) Strawberry:

sliced strawberries

The strawberry is a rich and aromatic fruit that is produced as a result of hybridization. It first originated in France in the 18th century. It is interesting to know that strawberry doesn’t belong to the family of berries but instead is a fruit. It belongs to the Rosaceae family and is related to apricots and raspberries. The strawberry is a hybrid of the wild strawberry variants i-e Fragaria Moschata and Fragaria Chiloensis. It is the only fruit that consists of strawberries outside instead of other fruits that contain the seeds inside. 

In 1764, the horticulturist Nicolas Duchesne created a modern strawberry by hybridization of a male Fragaria Moschata with a female Fragaria Chiloensis from Chile. This hybridization was successful and resulted in flavourful strawberries. Before this successful hybridization, many horticulturists were unaware of the male and female counterparts of the strawberries. Hence, their efforts went in vain and plants didn’t produce the fruit. Today, the United States is the world’s largest strawberry producer followed by Mexico. Strawberries also have medicinal benefits for patients with skin conditions and digestive problems.

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