When a fruit is not a fruit

Although both my boys do eat their greens and fruits, each of them has developed a special dislike for a particular type of vegetables or fruits. For example, my elder son loves bitter gourd, while his brother would not eat a tiny portion without screaming 'yucky!' all the way. On the other hand, the younger fellow enjoys the sensation of a juicy cherry tomato bursting in his mouth, the elder boy would always eat it with a huge frown spreading across his brow. Both hate celery and yet would fight for the last slice of Japanese cucumber on the plate.


A couple of months ago, during dinner, when my elder child realised that there were some cherry tomatoes scattered over the bowl of salad, as if to justify his dislike for this fruit, he said with a disgust in his voice, "Mah...mmmyyy, do you know that when we eat tomatoes, we are actually eating the ovaries of the plant?!" I was totally taken aback by that statement, and it really made me paused for a few seconds before I popped one of those juicy fruits inside my mouth ;) You see, it happened that on that day, he learned in class about the reproductive system of a flowering plant. During my time, this topic was only covered when I was in secondary school, but nowadays, the kids are taught way in advance! Indeed, fruits are actually the matured ovaries of plants. However, who will usually associate this 'biological fact' in our daily lives?!

Last week, as usual, at the eleventh hour before his Science exam the next day, I sat down with my boy to go through the subject. Having mastered the 'skills' of passing so many exams over the earlier part of my life, I advised him wisely that it would be important to know the similarities and differences between the functions of the ovary of a plant to that of the human body. Yes, they study the human reproductive system at Primary 5 (equivalent to a 5th grade)! We gained a common understanding that the ovary of a plant protects the ovules (further developed into seeds) as it develops into a fruit, whereas in a human body, the foetus is protected by the uterus. He then asked me, "So, what about strawberries?"


"Strawberries have got seeds on the outside of the fruit, and so, how does fertilisation take place?" he asked me, hoping to get an instant answer. "Oh yes, the strawberries are certainly not doing their jobs to protect the seeds!" I said. I told him, I don't have the answer, so it is best to find out. Thanks to the www, we cleared our doubts with just a few clicks.

It was really interesting to discover that strawberries are technically false fruits! The tiny 'specks' on the outer surface are actually matured ovaries or true fruits. Each single speck or "achene", as they are called, contains a seed that is enclosed and fused by the ovary wall, making it a fruit! The red, fleshy part is actually the enlarged receptacle or the end of the stem on which the flower is borne.


Can you imagine how many 'strawberry fruits' are there on this tart?!

As a bonus, we also learned that by definition, the individual grains of wheat and rice are also technically fruits! It has never been a surprise that I can always learn something new through my kids ;)