Bananas Are Berries, But Strawberries Are Not 🍌🍓

When someone says "berry," strawberries are arguably the first fruit that come to mind. Strawberries are sweet, juicy, and even have "berry" in their name. But here's the catch: bananas are berries, and strawberries are not. This interesting fact reverses what we think about fruits and showcases how captivating the plant world truly is. 

Let's explore more around why bananas are berries, why strawberries are not, and what this translates to in the scientific field of botany.

What Is a Berry, Really? 🍇

In ordinary conversation, we refer to small, colorful, juicy fruits as "berries." However, when we're speaking botanically (the scientific study of plants) the meaning is much stricter.

For fruit to be a true berry:

It must develop from a single ovary of a flower.

When it ripens, it must have fleshy walls.

Its seeds must be buried inside the fleshy fruit, not outside it.

This scientific definition results in many of our assumptions being incorrect. Fruits we call berries like tomatoes, kiwis, grapes, and bananas all fall into the berry category. Fruits we call berries like strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries fall outside the berry category.

Why Bananas Are Considered B toerries 🍌

Bananas grow from the flower of the banana plant, which has only one ovary. When the banana is growing, the outer skin protects the inner, soft and fleshy part, along with seeds embedded in the fruit.

Seeds of wild bananas are large and very notable. However, bananas we eat today are cultivated bananas, which only have tiny, undeveloped seeds, so you don't notice them.

Nevertheless, bananas fit the botanists definition, and so those fruits are actually classified as true berries. So, the next time you blow up a banana shake, you can honestly say you're drinking berry shake. 

Why Strawberries Are Not Berries 🍓 

Now let's go to strawberries. Strawberries are small and red and juicy, but strawberries do not meet the scientific definition of a berry.

First of all, strawberries are produced from a flower that has multiple ovaries. Rather than a simple fruit, strawberries are aggregate fruits.

Here's the interesting part. Those tiny dots that are all over the outside of strawberries are called achenes. Each achenes is really a fruit with a seed inside it. So, when you bite into a strawberry, you're technically eating tons of little fruits all at once!

So, strawberries are imposters in the berry world, but are not real berries.

Other Fruits That Might Surprise You 🥝🍅🍆

Now that you are all caught up in the science of berries, here is a list of some interesting fruits that fit into each of their correct classification:

✅ True Berries (scientifically):

Bananas

🍌

Tomatoes

🍅

Kiwis

🥝

Grapes

🍇

Eggplants (brinjals)

🍆

❌ Not True Berries (despite their names):

Strawberries

🍓

Raspberries

Blackberries

This just goes to show how confusing names can be when it comes to fruit!

Why Should I Care? 🌿

You might be asking “who cares if bananas are berries or not?” Well, classifications like fruits (or true berries) can matter in botany, agriculture, and food science when it comes to those growing plants, those breeding plants, or even simply entertaining chefs and nutritionists who want to wow customers with food knowledge facts.

For us, it’s a fun topic to discuss at the dinner table!

Plus if you’re anything like me, learning these fun facts adds an additional layer of depth when it comes to enjoying the outdoors and learning about how plants survive and adapt.

Wrap Up 🌍

The next time someone gives you a strawberry, you can wow them with “did you know that this isn’t really a berry?” and if you have a banana in your hand you can say confidently: “this is a true berry!” 

Science often forces us to rethink what we think we know, and fruit classification provides an excellent example of how often times our reality is stranger (and more interesting) than fiction. 

So, whether it be bananas, strawberries, tomatoes, anything really that has a name, always keep in mind that a name can be meaningless and science will always be the ultimate authority! 🍌🍓