Did you know that there are way more man made fruits and vegetables in the world than naturally growing ones? Yes, you saw that right! You can find out all about them right here in this article.
Among the overwhelming number of fruits and vegetables that we know of, some of the man-made fruits and vegetables are seedless watermelon, oranges, bell peppers, radishes, tangelo, tomatoes, and Brussels sprouts.
Are you eager to find out some more information about these shockingly popular yet unknown man-made fruits and vegetables? Keep reading to find out more…
How man-made fruits and vegetables are made?
I know many of you have this doubt regarding how man made fruits and vegetables are made. Well, when I was younger I also used to think the same, how humans can make fruits and vegetables, well, the process is quite simple.
Man made fruits and vegetables are formed by the process of selective breeding and cross-breeding. What really happens in this process is, traits of different plans are taken together to create a desired trait.
The advantage of this process is we get the improved characteristics of fruits and vegetables with improved nutrition, taste, color, etc.
12 Examples of Man Made Fruits and Vegetables
There are some shocking man made fruits and vegetables that will make your jaw drop. Below I have shared some interesting made made fruits and vegetables that 99% of people don’t know about.
1. Seedless Watermelon
These favorite summer fruits were first tasted around the 1940s by crossing two very different types of watermelons where one has a high chromosome count, and the other has a much lower one. Hence giving rise to seedless watermelons.
They are juicy and sweet, just like regular watermelons but minus the seeds part. This part makes it easy to enjoy one without worrying about getting rid of the seeds.
2. Pluot
Pluots are hybrids between apricots and plums and just scream summer. From their colorful, summery appearance to the rich and juicy flavor, you do not want to spend the warm season without having a bite of this deliciousness.
They were first made around the early 20th century by a very famous fruit breeder named Floyd Zaiger. They are made by traditional cross-pollination between plums and apricots.
The best part about fruits is the juiciness and tangy flavors that we get to taste on biting into them, and pluots with their sweet and zesty flavor gives just that.
If you are wondering about the nutritional benefits, you might be happy to find out that pluots are in fact known to be rich in Vitamin C and also act as antioxidants for flushing out the toxins from your body.
3. Oranges
Another popular man made fruit is Oranges. It is shocking to know but yes oranges are result of human invention.
This fresh and popular citrus fruit has its origin in Myanmar and South of China that goes way back. It is said to have come from two known citrus trees, the Mandarin tree and Pomelo tree.
Now these sweet and flavorful fruits are grown all over the world for everyone to enjoy.
4. Tangelo
If you are wondering if this fruit is as tangy as it sounds, well, you’re right. Having been a cross breed between grapefruits and tangerines, tangelos are tangy, sweet, and absolutely flavorful fruits.
Like pluots, tangelos were also made in the early 20th century somewhere around the 1900s. It was initially named as Noble Citrus but later came to be known as tangelo. Coming in bright colors such as orangy-red, you can feel the hint of both tangerine and grapefruit flavors.
You can mainly find them in abundance around the winter season and are grown in countries like Spain and the United States.
5. Radish
Is it weird to hear that radish was actually black in origin? Yes, it was. They were in fact found in Southeast Asia where people started cultivating it more for its leaves and roots as well.
Later on, of course, it was grown for its colors and aesthetic appeal in various cuisines. It is also a great source of nutrition such as Folate and Potassium. Having had a mild flavor, it was known to have the capability to be stored for a long time.
So next time you chew this crunchy vegetable, don’t forget that it is actually man made with loads of nutritional value.
6. Corn
Corn originates from its wild ancestor called teosinte that was found abundantly in Central America. Over the years, humans have cultivated it and transformed it into the corn that we eat today.
This actually involves selective breeding and today, there are also various types of corn that you can find in the supermarkets.
7. Broccoli
Is Broccoli man made? well, yes, it is. Broccoli is also the result of selective breeding. It belongs to the same family as cabbage.
This green and flowery man made vegetable has been known since the Roman Empire. They were able to breed it selectively from the wild cabbage family.
It was first made around 2000 years ago and ever since then it is found in almost every corner of the world, used in various dishes, and salads.
8. Tomatoes
Did you ever think that the tomatoes on your pizzas or the ones in your pickle and sauces could be man made? You might be surprised to find that these are another example of a man made vegetable.
Originating from its wild ancestor Solanim pimpinellifolium, it was initially found in South America. These were then subjected to the process of selective breeding that was started thousands and thousands of years ago by many humans across Mesoamerica.
Now, after having undergone these stages of selective breeding across so many centuries, we have much larger and colorful tomatoes that we eat today.
9. Bell Peppers
The lovely aroma that we sometimes get from tasty curries and rich salads is from these man made vegetables that were originally believed to be Capsicum annuum, found in South America. Now these vegetables are found throughout the world.
Over the generations, bell peppers have become much more tasty, large, and come in interesting shapes and colors.
10. Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are famously part of the cruciferous vegetables and were made in the 16th century. It was majorly grown and eaten by the ancient Romans who added it to many of their dishes.
Later on, it picked up a lot of popularity in the European countries where they finally named it Brussels.
11. Kale
This green and curly leafed vegetable is part of the Brassica oleracea species which was made around 2500 years ago by farmers working in the Mediterranean. In the early days, its appearance resembled more of a wild cabbage. However, the Greeks and Romans have played a role in making it as we see it today.
It is now widely used across different cuisines due to its aesthetic look and acts as a great addition to various salads.
Let’s not forget the nutritional value it has – with the Vitamin A and Vitamin K properties, it acts as an immunity builder and helps in the overall health of the body and skin.
12. Carrot
Carrot is used in almost every dishes and the shocking part is carrot is also a man made vegetable. The kind of orange color carrot that we see in today’s time is the result of man made creation.
This crunchy and unique shaped vegetable that we now see as a bright orange was in fact initially purple in color. Originally, it was made in Europe but now can be grown in almost any part of the world.
Conclusion
This list of man made fruits and vegetables is a small one compared to the other wonderful fruits and vegetables that we eat on a daily basis. But if you were curious about them, we hope that it helped you.
Now that you are aware of these fruits and vegetables, you can be certain that it has been cultivated with the best traits to enhance its flavor.
If you know more man made fruits and vegetables that we have missed in this article then do let us know and we might add it to our list. Keep Visiting Nomiparknpt.com for more such food related blogs.
