Week 8 Friday 27 th March 2009 The final week! Mystery Fruit Answers

Fruit 1 – Capsicum (Pepper) Capsicum was cultivated for thousands of years by the people of the tropical Americas, and is now cultivated worldwide. They are commonly called chili pepper, capsicum, red or green pepper, or sweet pepper in Britain. Brightly coloured capsicum, whether green, red, orange or yellow, are rich sources of some of the best nutrients available. To start, capsicum are excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A (through its concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene), two very powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants work together to effectively neutralize free radicals, which can travel through the body causing damage to cells.

Fruit 2 – Cucumber Lets start with a commonly asked question: is a cucumber a fruit or a vegetable? Technically it is a fruit because it contains the seeds to reproduce, but typically cucumbers are grouped with veggies due to their use. The fruit is commonly harvested while still green, and eaten as a vegetable, whether raw, cooked, or made into pickled cucumbers. Although less nutritious than most fruit and vegetables, the fresh cucumber is still a very good source of the vitamin C and the mineral molybdenum. It is also a good source of vitamin A, potassium, manganese, folate, dietary fibre and magnesium. What you may not know is that this crisp, refreshing fruit also contains compounds called sterols, which have been shown to lower cholesterol in animals. The heaviest concentration of sterols is in the skin of the cucumber, so you shouldn't remove the peel before eating. Cucumbers are a great digestive aid and have a cleansing effect on the bowel.

Well done for tasting all the fruits this term! Did you try them all?