Unit No 6

Vegetables, Fruits and Nuts. Classification, Selection, Storage, uses and

names in vernacular names.

Vegetable

In daily usage, vegetable is a part of a plant that is consumed by us as food and

as part of savory meal. The term of vegetable is some times arbitrary & also
largely defined through various culinary and cultural tradition.

Classification of vegetable:

BULBS Usually grow just below the surface of the ground and produce a fleshy,
leafy shoot above ground. Bulbs usually consist of layers or clustered
segments. e.g. onion, shallot, garlic, spring onion, leek, fennel, garlic

FLOWERS The edible flowers of certain vegetables. e.g. cauliflower, gaai laan
(Chinese sprouting
broccoli), broccoflower, globe artichoke, choi sum, courgette or other squash
flowers

FRUITS: Vegetable fruit are fleshy and contain seeds. e.g. egg plant, capsicum,
courgette, okra, pumpkin, tomato, choko, scallopini, cucumber, fuzzy melon,
Indian marrow

FUNGI: Fungi are commonly known as mushrooms. e.g. button, flats, shitake,
oyster, gourmet brown, wood ear, enokitaki, truffle

LEAVES : The edible leaves of plants. e.g. pok choy, cabbage, lettuce, silver
beet, spinach, witloof, puha

ROOTS : Usually a long or round-shaped taproot. e.g. carrot, turnip, beetroot,

swede, radish, parsnip, celeriac

PODS: Above the ground e.g. broad been, French bean, green peas , snow
peas.
STEM/SHOOTS: Above the ground asparagus , celery , bamboo shoots , globe
artichoke
Pigments: The attractive and various colours of vegetables are due to the
percentage of pigments distributed in the plant tissue like chlorophyll (green
colour) and carrotenoid pigment (red and yellow colour).

Selection of vegetable:

The qualities of root vegetable are determined by their firmness and absence
of blemishes, the skin should be smooth and not wrinkled for carrots.The
potato should be regular size and the veg. should be heavy for their size.

Onion should have thin shiny skin and no percentage of sprouting. Green
vegetables should be fresh and green colour appearance, if the end of the
stem broken, they should snap off easily and the leaves should not be limp.

Beans should not be stringy and should break crispy ripe under pressure. Pea
pods should be plumped. Brinjals should be light for their size and having a
shiny and smooth skin. Ladies finger should snap in the end are broken. The
carrots should have a shiny skin and regular shaped.

Fruits

A fruit can be defined as the nurtured ovary of a flower. The fleshy portion is
the edible part, though at times, the stone can also be eaten. Some people
tend to confuse fruit with vegetable. Tomatoes and eggplant are fruits though
they are referred to and are cooked like vegetables because of their low sugar
content. On the other hand, Rhubarb is a vegetable but is cooked like fruit, in
sugar syrup. Some vegetables are used in sweet dishes. E.g. pumpkin in a
pumpkin pie and carrot in a carrot hulwa.

There are different types of fruit:

- Simple fruit: one fruit from one flower e.g. orange

- Aggregate fruits : many fruits from one flower e.g. berries
- Pomes : fruits having a central core e.g. apple
- Drupes: fruits having a center stone e.g. apricot
CLASSIFICATION

1. Fleshy fruit: This group would include apple, banana, pineapple

2. Stone fruit: This group includes mangoes, apricots, peaches and the flesh
surrounds the stone.
3. Citrus fruits: These are usually segmented and have a predominant sweet
sour taste and will include orange, grapefruit, tangerines. They contain an
outer rind and seeds referred to as pips.
4. Berry fruits: include strawberries, raspberries, mulberries and gooseberries.
5. Nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts consist of an outer shell and inner seed.

SELECTION
It would be almost impossible to generalize the points to be considered when
selecting the variety of fruits. However, it is best to buy in season and in small
quantities for immediate use. Buy fruits you can select rather than pre packed
cartoons. Check for bruises, cuts and soft spots.

STORAGE
Very few fruits can be stored for extended periods. Ripe fruits must be stored
in the refrigerator and under ripe ones can be stored in a cool dry and dark
place. For commercial storage, 20°C room temperature, 2°C to 8°C refrigerated
temperature and 85% humidity is said to be ideal for most fruits. Proper air
circulation is also necessary to prevent pests such as fruit flies. Stored fruit do
not have the same flavor as fresh fruits. When stored in the refrigerator, fruits
tend to lose their moisture content. Fresh fruit tend to absorb and emit flavors
and therefore must be stored separately. Bananas are not refrigerated as the
color darkens when they are returned to room temperature. Very often, to
preserve, fruits can be dried. Apricots, bananas, apples and figs are all available
in the dried form. These can be stored at room temperature for 6 months.
Frozen fruits must be used within 2-3 days of de frosting. Canned fruits can be
stored at room temperature if unopened and must be refrigerated after
opening.