A-Z of fruit and veg

For more exciting facts about fruit and veg, plus great ideas on how to eat your 5 A
DAY, dive into the Alphabet of fruit and Alphabet of vegetables on World Cancer
Research Fund's new Real Recipes website.

Back to top ↑

Apple

Granny Smith, Royal Gala, Golden Delicious and Pink Lady are just a few of the
thousands of different kinds of apple that are grown around the world! You can make
dried apple rings at home - ask an adult to help you take out the core, thinly slice the
apple and bake the rings in the oven at a low heat.

Did you know you can cook apples? Try our delicious and healthy baked apples
recipe.Back to top ↑

Apricot

Apricots can be eaten fresh or dried - both are packed with vitamins! Fresh apricots
have a soft and slightly furry skin. They make a good lunchbox snack. Apricots are
also high in beta-carotene - this helps us keep our eyes and skin healthy.

Do you know where apricots grow? Play our online game 'Where does it grow?' to
learn where apricots and other vegetables and fruit grow.Back to top ↑
 Asparagus
Asparagus is a shoot vegetable � we eat the stalk and the tip. It makes any dish look
more interesting with its unusual shape. Asparagus is a good source of a vitamin
called folate, which is important for healthy blood.Back to top ↑

Aubergine
Most aubergines are teardrop-shaped and have a glossy purple skin. On the inside,
they are spongy and creamy white. Aubergines grow on bushes and are really fruits -
although you wouldn't want to eat them raw. Australians and Americans call it
eggplant because some types look a bit like large eggs!Back to top ↑

Avocado

It is sometimes called an avocado pear. Avocado is often mistaken for a vegetable

because we eat it like a salad vegetable, but it is actually a fruit. Avocados are at their
best when they are ripe and very easy to prepare. They can simply be cut in half with
the stone removed and eaten with a little salad dressing or chopped into a salad.
Avocados are a good source of essential fats (the good ones) - one of the few fruits or
vegetables that contain fat.

Is avocado a fruit? Test your knowledge. Take our 'Olive-tastic' quiz on vegetables
and fruit.Back to top ↑

Banana

Bananas make a nutritious snack! They are a great source of energy and contain lots
of vitamins and minerals, especially potassium, which is important to help cells,
nerves and muscles in your body to work properly and it helps to lower blood
pressure. They have a thick skin to protect them, which is green before bananas are
ripe, and get more yellow in colour and sweeter in taste as they ripen. We peel away
the skin and eat the soft fleshy part of the fruit underneath. Bananas grow in hanging
clusters, sometimes called hands, on the banana plant in tropical regions like
Southeast Asia. You can eat them raw, baked, dried or in a smoothie. Why don't you
try mashing it up and have it with yoghurt or porridge or even on brown toast?

Would you like to race a banana? Play our 'Beat the banana' online game and see if
you can beat Bertie to the finish line.Back to top ↑

Beetroot
Beetroot is the root of the beet plant - which explains its name! People have grown it
for food since Roman times. Raw beetroot is best for you and great for grating - peel
it first. Try it in a salad or sandwich. Small beetroots are usually the sweetest. Ahhhh!

Did you know you can grow beetroot at home? Follow our guide to growing beetroot.
It�s fun and easy.Back to top ↑

Black-eye bean

In America, these beans are often called black-eyed peas or cow peas. They each have
a little black dot on the side - this is where they were once attached to their pod, so it's
a bit like a belly button! You can mix them with all sorts of other beans to make a
super salad.

Playing beanbag games is a great way to stay active. Learn how to make a beanbag by
following our simple guide.Back to top ↑

Broad bean

Another name for this bean is the ‘Fava bean’. Broad beans grow in a green, leathery
pod. The beans can be eaten fresh, when they are green, or dried, when they have
turned brown. The way to identify them is by their flat, broad shape. Beans are a good
source of protein and fibre.

Why not try growing a bean plant at home? It's easy with our step-by-step
instructions.Back to top ↑
 Broccoli
Broccoli is closely related to cabbage - and it's another one of those 'greens' we're
always being told to eat up. The part of a broccoli plant we normally eat is the lovely
flowerhead - the flowers are usually green but sometimes purple. Steamed broccoli is
tasty in a salad or stir-fry.Back to top ↑

Brussels sprout
Brussels sprouts are like mini cabbages! They grow out of the ground in knobbly rows
on a long tough stalk. They contain loads of vitamin C. Can you guess which country
BRUSSELS sprouts originally came from? Well, Brussels is the capital city of
Belgium!Back to top ↑

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is large and pear-shaped with a golden-brown to yellow skin. We

don't eat the skin and seeds, only the flesh. The flesh is really hard when it is raw but
it turns soft and sweet when it is cooked. It can be roasted, pureed, mashed or used in
soups or casseroles. It is a good source of beta-carotene, which is turned into vitamin
A in the body. Beta-carotene gives the flesh its bright orange colour.

Keep warm in the winter! Try making Mixer�s butternut squash soup.Back to top ↑
 Carrot

Carrots grow underground and they can be used in all sorts of dishes - from casseroles
to cakes. Raw carrots are great to crunch on and they make a healthy juice, too. They
contain lots of beta-carotene - this helps us keep our eyes and skin healthy.

Use carrots to make Captain Carrot and other 'Funny face pizzas'.Back to top ↑

Cherry
Cherries are stone fruits - just like their friends the apricots. A cherry tree can carry on
producing fruit for 100 years! Cherries grow from stalks in pairs. Ahhh! Sweet ones
like the Bing cherry are nicest on their own or in a fruit salad. Sour ones like Morello
cherries are tastier cooked.Back to top ↑

Clementine

This citrus fruit is the smallest of the tangerines. The skin of Clementines can be
peeled away easily and the segments don’t contain pips, which makes them a lot less
messy to eat than some other varieties. They smell so delicious and naturally sweet.
They are often eaten at Christmas time. Citrus fruits are a good source of vitamin C.
Add segments of clementine to a fruit kebab for a fun way to eat fruit.Back to top ↑

Courgette

A courgette is a type of squash and if it isn't picked early, it grows into a marrow!
Courgettes grow on bushes. They look quite like cucumbers and have very soft seeds.
They can be cooked with onions, tomatoes, aubergines and peppers to make
ratatouille. The American name for a courgette is 'zucchini'.

Courgettes count towards your 5 A DAY. Download our '5 A DAY bingo' game and
have fun playing bingo with your friends.Back to top ↑

Date

Dates are the fruit of the date palm tree and lots of them are grown in Egypt and
California (USA). Dried dates make a super sweet snack. They can be chopped and
sprinkled on cereal instead of sugar or honey.

We use dates in our mince pie recipe. Why not try making mince pies this
Christmas?Back to top ↑

Elderberry

These little, almost black berries grow on bushes all over the countryside in summer!
They aren't good to eat raw but they are berry nice cooked with other fruits in pies or
used to make jam!

WARNING: Some berries are poisonous, so don't pick them without checking with an
adult first. And never eat the leaves!
Back to top ↑

Endive

Endive is a member of the lettuce family. It is shaped like a bulb and has leaves that
overlap each other - try peeling them off one by one to see how many there are. The
leaves are a bit bitter on their own but they are delicious in a salad mixed with sweet
tomatoes and slices of orange.

Endive leaves have a bright yellow tip. You could use some to add even more colour
to our 'Rainbow salad' recipe.Back to top ↑

Fennel

This vegetable tastes a bit like liquorice! Fennel is a plant that grows in the ground. A
bulb shape grows at the base of the plant, and this is the part that you eat. Raw fennel
adds a super crunchy taste to salads. You can also slice it and cook it like onion or
celery to use in casseroles. The feathery leaves and seeds add flavouring to cooking,
just like herbs.
Discover when fennel grows by reading our quick guide to what's in season.Back to
top ↑

Fig

Figs are soft sweet fruits, full of small seeds and often eaten dried. They grow on
trees. Fresh figs are delicious and jams and chutneys are often made from them. The
skin of a fig is very thin and ripe figs do not keep or travel very well so in warm
countries figs are dried.

Have you ever tried figs? What other vegetables and fruit have you tried? Tell us on
the 'I tried' page.Back to top ↑

Garlic

Did you know garlic can help keep mosquitoes away?! And yes, garlic can make your
breath smell a bit... garlicky! We eat all different parts of plants and garlic is the bulb.
Open it up and you'll see lots of segments - or cloves - with a papery covering. You
only need to use one or two of these to add loads of extra flavour to a food.

Do you know what garlic looks like? Match up pairs of pictures in our fun online
game and discover interesting facts.Back to top ↑
 Grape

Grapes grow in bunches on vines. On the inside, they are sweet, juicy and jelly-like.
Green grapes are also called white grapes and are dried to make sultanas. Purple ones
can be called black grapes and are dried to make raisins. There are red grapes too - red
grape juice tastes totally delicious!

Did you know grapes are a healthy snack? Why not try making a 'Healthy snack
holder'?Back to top ↑

Green bean
French beans, runner beans, common beans, bobby beans, string beans, Thai beans,
wax beans and haricots verts are all names for different types of green bean. Wax
beans aren't even green - they can be yellow or purple! Green beans are picked when
they are very young - they should be bright in colour and firm. If the pods are bendy,
they won't taste sweet and crunchy! To eat the beans, the ends should be chopped off -
this is called topping and tailing. They only need to be cooked in boiling water for a
few minutes then they are ready to eat. In France, they are often eaten in a salad with
potatoes and tuna. Ask an adult to help you make one! Green beans are a good source
of fibre, which helps keep your tummy healthy. They also contain beta-carotene,
which helps us keep our eyes and skin healthy.Back to top ↑

Guava

The guava fruit is widely grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. It
can be round to pear-shaped with a thin skin that is green and turns yellow as it ripens.
The flesh can be white or even pink, and the seeds can be eaten. The guava fruit
contains lots of beta-carotene (which forms vitamin A in the body) and vitamin C.
The flesh can make a great snack or dessert chopped up, or scooped straight from the
skin.

Did you know Guava is yellow? Download our yellow plant foods factsheet to learn
more about yellow vegetables and fruit.Back to top ↑

Haricot bean

These little beans are white and grow all over the world. Baking them gives you
baked beans - the beans are cooked in a tomato sauce. Try them on toast for breakfast.
Beans are good for giving you energy.

Haricot beans are a pulse. Learn about other seeds and pulses with Searcher.Back to
top ↑

Honeydew melon

Honeydew melons grow on trailing vines along the ground. There are THOUSANDS
of different kinds of melon - they all have a hard outside, which you can't eat, and a
juicy sweet inside that makes your mouth water!

Our delicious 'Rainbow fruit salad' uses melon. Why not try making it?Back to top ↑
 Iceberg lettuce

There are many, many kinds of lettuce to choose from. Iceberg has a cool, crisp taste.
It adds lots of crunch to a sandwich! Other types of lettuce can be curly, dark green or
even red! Iceberg lettuce leaves can make a good wrapper for other foods - try
wrapping one around a piece of cheese or a boiled egg.

Grow your own lettuce leaves!Back to top ↑

Jerusalem artichoke
The knobbly Jerusalem artichoke is related to the pretty sunflower. But it isn't a type
of artichoke and it doesn't come from Jerusalem! The bit of it we eat is an ugly little
tuber (like a small thin potato). The yummy white flesh inside tastes amazing.Back to
top ↑
 Kiwi fruit

A kiwi fruit is hairy on the outside and soft in the middle. It is one of the only fruits to
be green when it is ripe. You can scoop out the juicy green flesh with a spoon just like
a boiled egg! One kiwi fruit contains all the vitamin C you need for a whole day.
Vitamin C helps your body to heal cuts and bruises and to fight colds.

We have lots of ideas for activities and games, including our fun 'Kiwi and spoon
race'.Back to top ↑

Leek

These are in the same family as onion and garlic – they are allium vegetables. Leeks
need to be washed well to remove any dirt and grit between the white sections. You
can boil or steam leeks to add to a recipe or stir-fry them with other vegetables. They
are in season in the UK. over the winter months and are a good source of fibre.

Our leek and potato soup is simple and tasty.Back to top ↑

 Lemon

Lemons were used on ships of famous explorers – the vitamin C stopped sailors from
getting a disease called scurvy. You can squeeze out the juice and mix it with water to
make a zingy drink.

Did you know you can make invisible ink using a lemon? Have fun pretending to be a
secret agent.Back to top ↑

Mango

Mangoes come in different shapes and sizes. You have to peel off the skin to eat the
soft, juicy flesh inside. Mangoes grow best in hot countries like India and Malaysia.
There are more than 2,500 different kinds of mango in the world!

Our 'Traffic light lollies' recipe uses mango to make the orange light. What type of
fruit do you think we use for red and green?Back to top ↑
 Melon

There are many types of melon; honeydew, cantaloupe and galia, to name a few. The
flesh of these different melons, which is the bit we eat, comes in different colours;
cantaloupe is usually orange because it is high in beta-carotene, honeydew is usually
pale-green to yellow and galia is usually a deeper green. Unlike what its name may
indicate, the watermelon is not actually a melon, just a distant relative of the melon.
Its flesh is usually pink as it is high in the antioxidant, lycopene. Melons grow off a
vine, and have a strong outer skin to protect them, which we don't eat. Melon goes
great chopped up in a fruit salad, adding lots of colour and flavour. It is very
refreshing as a snack in the hot summertime too!

We use melon in our exciting 'Pirate party food' recipe. Why not try making
some?Back to top ↑

Mushroom

Although mushrooms are not fruits or vegetables (they are actually a type of fungus),
they still count as one of your 5 A DAY. They are tasty on toast with scrambled egg
and a grilled tomato.

WARNING: Picking wild mushrooms is not safe! Only an expert can tell which ones
are poisonous.

Make cute cat faces with our 'Purrfect mushrooms' recipe. It�s delicious, healthy and
fun.Back to top ↑
 Nectarine

Nectarines are a type of peach with a thin smooth skin and firm flesh. The skin of a
peach is more furry but the fruit tastes almost exactly the same. You have to be very
gentle with them - they can bruise, just like you do, and the fruit will go bad where the
bruise is.

You can use nectarines in a fruit salad or you could try making our fun 'Tutti-frutti
sundae'.Back to top ↑

Nut

Your brain looks like a giant walnut. To make it grow it needs protein, which is found
in nuts! A nut is actually a fruit, or the seed of a fruit. There are lots of different kinds
but they all have a hard, dry shell around a kernel (the part of the nut you eat). A
Brazil nut tree can live for 500 years!

WARNING: Children under 5 should not be given whole or chopped nuts due to risk
of choking. And please don't eat nuts if you are allergic to them!

'Can you crack it?' Try our fun online game and see if you can match all the nuts with
their shells.Back to top ↑
 Olive

Olives are really fruits and they grow on trees. If green olives are left on the tree, they
turn black. Have you had them on a pizza? Olives come in many sizes and flavours so
you may need to try lots of different ones to find out which ones you like best.

Take the 'Olive-tastic' quiz. How much do you know about olives and other
vegetables and fruit?Back to top ↑

Orange
Oranges are really famous - they are one of the most popular fruits in the world!
Oranges grow best in countries such as Spain and Italy - where it's hot and sunny
during the day and cooler at night. A glass of pure orange juice counts as one of your
5 A DAY. Try cutting an orange into quarters and freezing it to make a healthy icy
treat!Back to top ↑
 Pea

Petit pois, mangetout, sugar snap and marrowfat are all fancy names for different
types of pea. Thousands of tonnes of garden peas are grown in the United Kingdom
every year to make frozen peas. A bag of these can come in handy if you've had a
bump, but eating them is best of all! Sprinkle some over a salad a few minutes before
serving for a cold crunchy taste.

You could use peas to make one of our funny 'Potato faces'.Back to top ↑

Peanut

If you buy peanuts in their shells, they are often called monkey nuts - they are given
this name because monkeys are thought to love them! Birds and squirrels like them
too. Peanuts belong to the same family as peas and beans and grow underground.

Nuts make a healthier snack than crisps or chocolate. Learn more about nuts and dried
fruit.Back to top ↑
 Pear
Which fruits always travel in groups of two? Answer: pears! Pears are from the same
family as apples but they are softer. They can be yellow, green, reddish or brown on
the outside but they all have white, juicy flesh inside. One of the best-loved English
pears is called Conference.Back to top ↑

Pepper

Peppers can be red, yellow, green or orange - some are even white or purple! If you
don't like the way one colour tastes, you might like another. The green ones are less
sweet - red peppers are actually ripened green peppers.

Red peppers are a really delicious snack to have in your packed lunch. Plan your
packed lunches with our online game.Back to top ↑
 Pineapple

It can take TWO YEARS to grow a pineapple. This rough, spiky fruit is actually
made up of lots of smaller fruits that have stuck together. It was given its name
because early explorers thought it looked like a pine cone. You could use the skin of a
pineapple as a bowl to eat your fruit salad!

Try making this delicious pineapple dip recipe, and other 'Tasty dips from around the
world'.Back to top ↑

Pumpkin

Pumpkins are orange on the outside, and also on the inside. Although we associate
pumpkins with Halloween decoration, they are actually a tasty vegetable too (but we
don't eat the outside, just the flesh inside) and they are related to the cucumber. They
can be boiled, baked, roasted or mashed and make delicious soups and even pumpkin
pie! They have plenty of beta-carotene, which is turned into vitamin A in our bodies.
It is the beta-carotene that give pumpkins their orange colour. There is another part of
the pumpkin we use too! Pumpkin seeds can be roasted and eaten as a tasty snack, or
sprinkled over yoghurt, and are a good source of essential fatty acids (the good fats).

Get ready for Halloween. Make a pumpkin lantern. Keep the seeds and roast them to
make a tasty snack.Back to top ↑
 Quince

This fruit comes from the same family as the pear, but it can't be eaten raw. Slices of
quince taste lovely in an apple crumble. Quince smells of perfume when it's been
cooked, which means that some people also use it as an air freshener for their home or
car! Why don't you ask an adult if you can try doing the same?

Do you know what a quince looks like? Play our online quiz to see if you can guess
the vegetables and fruit from the pictures.Back to top ↑

Radish

While some radishes are small and red, others are large and white - and shaped like
carrots. Some of the red ones have pretty names like Cherry Belle and Scarlet Globe.
Radishes give salad a real ZING! They have a peppery taste and are really crunchy.

Radishes make salads colourful and crunchy. Grow your own at home. The best time
to grow them is between March and September.Back to top ↑

Raisin
Nearly half of all the world's raisins come from California - that's in America. Raisins
start off as black grapes. The grapes are turned into raisins by drying them in the sun.
Sultanas are made the same way but with green grapes. Mini boxes of raisins are
perfect for packed lunches.

Impress your friends with the 'Incredible dancing raisin' magic trick. Make raisins
magically dance in water.Back to top ↑

Rhubarb

Rhubarb was used in Asia long before it was first eaten in Britain. People sometimes
grew it in their gardens just because it looked nice! It can be mixed with sweeter fruit
like apple. Don't eat the leaves, they are poisonous!

Rhubarb is lovely stewed on its own, but you could also use it in a delicious pancake
topping. Try our healthy pancake recipe.Back to top ↑

Satsuma

Satsumas, clementines and mandarins are all different names for types of tangerine.
They grow on trees and they grow best in warm weather. The juiciest ones are the
heaviest ones. See if you can take the peel off in one piece!

Don't throw away the net your satsumas come in! You can use it to make a fun
microphone. Learn to make other musical instruments too.Back to top ↑
 Strawberry

Anyone for tennis? Followed by some strawberries of course! Around 25,000kg of

strawberries are eaten at Wimbledon each year. Strawberries are actually members of
the rose family. They are the only fruits to have their seeds on the outside - one
strawberry can have as many as 200.

You can turn strawberries into a cool, tasty treat. Try making our icy 'Strawberry
granita' recipe.Back to top ↑

Sweet potato

These top tubers grow best in tropical places where the weather is warm. They are
famous for appearing in lots of Caribbean recipes! They come in all kinds of knobbly
shapes and just like the name suggests, they are sweeter than ordinary potatoes. Try
them baked - or boiled and mashed with carrots.

Sweet potatoes make yummy wedges. Why not try our tasty 'Root vegetable wedges'
recipe?Back to top ↑
 Tomato

Ask a friend if they think a tomato is a fruit or vegetable and see if they know the
answer (it's a fruit!). The little cherry tomatoes are sweet and tasty in salads or in your
lunchbox. Tomatoes are easy to grow in a pot in the garden. Buy some seeds and have
a go!

Tomatoes are delicious in sandwiches. We have lots of ideas for tasty sandwich
fillings. Try making �Monster crunch' or 'Peter Pig'.Back to top ↑

Turnip

According to folklore, turnips were used as jack o' lanterns long before pumpkins!
The turnip is sometimes muddled up with its bigger relative, the swede. Both are
lovely cooked in a stew, or boiled then mashed, or roasted. Raw turnip can be grated
into a salad.

Use the ends of your turnip to 'Grow root islands'. Try this fun activity to grow little
trees in water.Back to top ↑
 Ugli fruit

An Ugli fruit is a cross between a grapefruit and a mandarin! It is about the size of a
grapefruit but it tastes a bit sweeter and has a wrinkly skin that peels easily. This
funky fruit comes from Jamaica and is also grown in the USA - and it's not that ugly!
It can look a bit weird because its yellowy green skin is thick, rough and puffy - and
sometimes a bit blotchy!

Doesn�t ugli fruit have a funny name? If you like doing funny things, play our
'Funny food figures' online game.Back to top ↑

Victoria plum

Plums come in all sorts of colours but Victoria plums are dark red and are grown in
England. They are super sweet eaten raw or can be cooked in tarts and crumbles.
Plums have a stone inside. Can you think of other fruits that do?

Do you know which country grows the most plums? Play 'Fruits and vegetables
around the world' to learn more.Back to top ↑
 Vine leaf

This is a leaf from the vines that grapes grow on - and these leaves CAN be eaten!
They are picked when they are quite young and then cooked slightly to soften them.
They are used like a wrapping paper to make little parcels filled with things such as
rice or finely chopped vegetables.

There are some leaves you can�t eat! But you could use them to make a leaf mask. A
great idea for a fancy dress costume.Back to top ↑

Watercress
Watercress is grown in water! Give mum or dad a top tip - it will last longer in the
fridge if it is kept in a bowl or jar of water. It is tastiest in the three "S"s - salads,
sandwiches and soups. Try saying that quickly!Back to top ↑

Watermelon
Watermelons grow along the ground and they can be ENORMOUS. They contain lots
of water and are really, really refreshing! In China, children love drinking watermelon
juice in summer to help them stay cool. The Chinese name for a watermelon is
xigua.Back to top ↑

Yam
The skin of a yam is thick and rough like the bark of a tree! Yams are a bit like
potatoes but their flesh can be white, yellow or even purple. They come from hot
countries in the Caribbean and Africa, where people often mash them up and eat them
in spicy stews and soups. A yam can grow to be heavier than a human adult!Back to
top ↑

Zucchini

Zucchini is the American name for a courgette. You can find more information on
courgettes on this page. Take a look!