Why is watermelon a berry and how true is it?

Often a statement that a watermelon is a berry,causes confusion. Most people are accustomed to consider it a fruit, and there are those who are sure that it is a vegetable. The issue is ambiguous, there are many opinions. So who is right? And why is a watermelon considered a berry?

This issue will require a comprehensive review. It is best to start with the basic concepts.

What is a berry?

The opinions of scientists-botanists and non-specialists on thisaccount differ. So, in the life of berries are considered all small fruits, which have a juicy pulp. This includes true (for example, currant), false (dog rose), kostyanka (cherry), multicolor (raspberry). But the fact that from the point of view of botany is a berry, but has larger dimensions, the people may not be attributed to them. For example, neither tomato nor kiwi will say so. But in fact they are berries.

In botany, there is no binding to the dimensions. And this to some extent explains why watermelon is a berry, since many are just the size and embarrassment. In botany, the definition is as follows. Berries are fruits of any size, but they must have many seeds with a hard skin and a juicy pulp. All this is a shell of thin peel. True berries develop from ovaries, false ones - from any other parts.

Additional types

To the group of fruit-like fruits are also the taikvins, oranges and apples. This is also a variety of berries, because they correspond to all the signs.

The first are the fruit of plants - representativesfamily Pumpkin. These are the largest berries, the weight of which can reach several tens of kilograms, and the size - more than a meter in diameter. They are characterized by a juicy and dense pulp and hard peel. The outer layer can sometimes be woody. It is to this family belongs watermelon. Berry or pumpkin is its fruit? The second name can not be used. Because so called another plant. The common name for the fruits of this family is tyqquin.

Pomeranians are a typical fruit of citrus fruits. Consequently, lemons, oranges, etc. can also be attributed to berries.

The latter include representatives of the subfamilyApple tree. These are multifamous fruits with a thin skin, a lot of pulp and seeds located closer to the center. In addition, in botany berries are fruits that grow on pear, mountain ash, quince.

What for botanists - not berry

As already mentioned, not every fruit that is considered a berry in everyday life is in fact it. So, typical misconceptions.

Stones. This is a fruit with a thin skin and a juicy pulp. Their distinguishing feature is one seed, and not a set of berries. In addition, the layers of the pericarp are sharply divided. Therefore, the flesh is easily detached. Thus, cherry and cherry are the stems. Peaches, apricots, plums and other fruits with one seed are also included here.

There are such fruits, where a lot of many bone bundles are joined together. The most common example is raspberries or blackberries. In fact they are multicolored.

Strawberries and strawberries are false berries, since they are formed not from ovaries, but from the flower-root. The fruits are white and black seeds on the surface, which are called multi-ridges.

About watermelons

As it became clear now, the scientific and philistinethe views are significantly different. If you compare the description and appearance of the fruit, it becomes clear why the watermelon is a berry: it meets all the characteristics of this group of plants.

A bit of history

Watermelon can be considered a freshman in European cuisine,since it was imported relatively recently. This culture appeared on the tables in the Middle Ages, at the time of the Crusades. Prior to Russia, the striped fetus reached even later, it was introduced in about the 14th century.

The homeland of this wonderful delicacy is consideredSouth Africa, Namib Desert Area. Brazil and Paraguay are also trying to challenge this role. In all these regions watermelon is found in the wild, and also closely related species. There is no precise information on the ways of spreading the culture. However, it is known from historical sources that already in the Ancient World watermelon was well known. He was cultivated in various countries and was a favorite treat. At the dawn of mankind, no one has ever wondered why the watermelon is a berry, since at that time there were no botanical classifications.

Currently, more than 1200varieties of this culture. Especially spread in China. At the moment, China is the leader in the cultivation of watermelons. They are also cultivated in Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, in the states of the American continent - in 96 countries all over the world.

What is this culture?

To understand why a watermelon is called a berry,should refer to its botanical description. This plant, as already mentioned, belongs to the Pumpkin family. It is melon culture. The fetus develops from the ovary and is a large tykvina, which is spherical, oval or cylindrical in shape. Weight of watermelons can be more than 20 kg. The fruit is covered with a dense, smooth and thick bark (4-15 mm), the color is usually green, there are also varieties with a white or yellow color. Most often there is a pattern in the form of dark and light strips. Why is a watermelon considered a berry? The fact is that tyqquilla is her subspecies, which has all the characteristic features.

The flesh of the fetus is red. There are also varieties with a pink, yellow or white core. The taste of the fruit is sweet, it can be sugary. The pulp is juicy and tender. It contains a large number of seeds.

Chemical composition

Watermelon is very useful, because. rich in various vitamins and microelements. At the same time, it contains a minimum amount of calories: only 38 kcal per 100 g of pulp. In the edible part of the fruit at the time of maturation, mainly contains glucose and fructose. Sucrose appears during storage. The longer the watermelon is, the more it accumulates. The pulp contains from 5.5 to 13% of digestible sugars.

The fruits contain the following vitamins: A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, C, K, PP. Also, the pulp is rich in trace elements, such as iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, sodium, selenium, phosphorus, fluorine, zinc. 100 grams of watermelon contains 0.61 g of protein, 7.55 g of carbohydrates, 0.15 g of fat, 0.4 g of dietary fiber.

Thanks to such an abundance of useful trace elementsstriped "ball" becomes an indispensable product on the table. It is not only possible, but necessary. A large amount of water contributes to saturation of the body with moisture, which is especially important in the summer heat.

Is the berry a watermelon? And is it worth arguing about this?

After a detailed consideration of the problem from all sides, you can summarize the information and summarize a small study on the topic "Why watermelon is a berry and how true it is".

So, watermelon belongs to the Pumpkin family. The fruit has all the inherent characteristics of berries: juicy pulp, a large number of seeds, the presence of external peel. However, according to the family, it will be called tykvino. And this is the most correct name from the botanical point of view.

At the same time, the squash belong to the groupberry fruit. Consequently, there are not only similarities. They differ somewhat from typical berries, firstly, in large sizes, secondly, dense skin, and thirdly, by a large number of seeds.

It remains only to clarify the last question aboutwatermelon: "Is it a berry or a squash?" Proceeding from all the above, we will conclude that the juicy fruit can be called a berry, because according to the basic biological criteria it corresponds to this group and refers to it. This is a broader name. A narrower and more specialized name is tykvina (it, in turn, is a variety of berries).

It is also necessary to make a small digressionfor those who put the question as follows: "Watermelon is a berry or a vegetable?" The fact is that the first definition is botanical, and the second is culinary, gastronomic. Mixing concepts from different areas is incorrect. However, if we consider watermelon from the food point of view, then it will refer to its characteristics to fruits, since this group includes, among others, edible sweet berries.