Lemon is a fruit, vegetable or berry
Lemons are bright representatives of citrus fruits. Both adults and children know their bright yellow color and aroma. But when buying this useful product, not many people think about its origin. Finding out whether a lemon is a fruit or a vegetable will help the type of fruit growth and formation.
Lemon origin
Origin of the problem
Before you can confidently say that lemon is a fruit, you need to understand the origin of this word. From Latin, "fructus" means fruit. All fruits grow on trees or bushes. Until 300 years ago, such a word did not exist. People considered all fruits to be vegetables.
As a result, the question of what a lemon is: a berry, a fruit or a vegetable becomes even more confusing. When we say that it is a fruit, we mean that it is a “fruit”. And if you use the dictionary of the ancient Slavs, then this is completely a vegetable.
Whether a lemon can be a berry depends on its type of growth and fruit formation.
It is worth figuring out what a berry is. This name is understood with the pulp with seeds covered with a thin shell. Berries can be single-seeded, double-seeded, etc. It is important that, according to morphological characteristics, tomatoes, bananas, kiwi, etc. are also classified as berries. In everyday life, they are not like that. As a result, it is difficult to say with certainty that a lemon is a fruit, vegetable or berry.
What should be attributed to lemon
The botanical features of citrus indicate that the lemon is not a fruit or vegetable, but a hybrid fruit that belongs to the orange subfamily. All orange are bred by crossing various varieties with the most ancient type of citrus - citron. Citron fruits are the largest among all known citrus fruits. But according to their morphological characteristics, these are berries, therefore, yellow citrus is a berry, only changed with long-term cultivation of varieties.
The same conclusion holds true for other citrus fruits:
- orange;
- tangerine;
- kumquatu.
Anyone who is convinced that lemon is a fruit is also right. There are all the signs to think so.
The benefits of citrus
Lemon is rich in vitamins
The pulp of citrus is juicy, aromatic with an unforgettable taste.
Fresh consumption is rarely popular due to the danger of harm to health. But even when making jams, juices or using it as a filling in confectionery, the finished product exhibits a lot of useful properties.
The juice of this berry is rich in vitamin C. Citrus is one of the leaders among fruit crops in terms of its content. Vitamins A, B, P, D also bring benefits. A Among the trace elements in lemon, there is a high content:
- gland;
- copper;
- cobalt;
- magnesium;
- sodium;
- manganese.
The product also contains fiber and pectic acid, which are useful for the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Citric acid is the most beneficial. This substance is a natural sorbent that has a beneficial effect not on the organs of vision and the circulatory system. At the same time, there is one caveat: the abundance of nutrients is concentrated not in the pulp, but in the peel that tastes unpleasant. Lemon zest is widely used in cooking and medicine.
The list of nutrients is huge.This exotic product is one of the most biologically valuable for the human body. But you need to use it in food with caution. Due to the large amount of acids, the use of citrus has a dangerous effect on the activity of organs and body systems.
Conclusion
A mysterious yellow exotic product from store shelves is a berry. This conclusion suggests itself due to the botanical characteristics of this fruit. But his household belonging to vegetables and even fruits also has the right to life.