How much should uniqueness impact the value of a fruit?
For example, nobody doubts that the plum is delicious, but there hoards of other fruits with an identical shape (spherical), similar texture (soft), like size (medium/small) and composition (juicy). But what about the dragon fruit? Might not be as popular as the plum, but it surely deserves some respect for being so utterly distinct.
Wow! Art like this has got to count for something.
“Rudolf II as Vertumnus” (c.1590) by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. If a fruit is featured in a famous work of art, then is it better than a fruit that’s not? Well, in any case … yum!
One of the seminal questions regarding the ranking of fruit is whether or not what you’re eating is, in fact, a fruit or a vegetable. Scientists, chefs and amateurs alike have hotly debated the truth behind each edible plant’s identity, yielding mostly mixed results. Most often, the Western world follows the rules that a fruit, scientifically speaking, is the ovary of a seed-bearing plant, and that gastronomically, a fruit is any edible plant so long as that plant tastes sweet. By this logic, the pumpkin, squash, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper and even green bean should be considered fruit — scientifically, that is. But the one fruit that seems to suffer the most cases of mistaken identity is, sadly, the avocado …
Great tune about a great fruit … sung in Swedish!
The Apple.
With over 7,500 varieties of this exonerated fruit, little is left to say about the myriad wonders of the apple. Sweet or tart? Crisp or grainy? Green or red? There sure seems to be an apple to satiate anybody’s desire. But beyond the gastronomical delights of the malus domestica, culture at large has an unsurpassed obsession with this amazing fruit. From the Bible to the Beatles, apples have become icons around the world. And so, when ranking fruit, we must remember to consider cultural references as one factor in the battle to the top …
Fruit art by Sammy!
