Week 6 Friday 13 th March 2009 Mystery Fruit Answers

Fruit 1 – Raspberry A member of the rose family, raspberries have a wonderfully intense, sweet taste, and many consider them to be the finest flavoured of all the berries. Raspberries grow well in cool, damp climates, and the red varieties, such as Heritage and Malling Jewel, are the most commonly sold, though you can also find black, yellow and golden types. They are an essential ingredient in the classic English dessert, Summer pudding, and their flavour combines well with that of other berries. Serve with cream or ice cream. Use to make jam, tarts, trifles or cheesecakes. Use to make coulis or sauces.

Fruit 2 – Plum Tomato Baby plum tomatoes The tiniest type of plum tomatoes available, and even smaller than cherry tomatoes - this sweet, oval shaped variety is just perfect for eating as they are. Seasonal availability: All year. Uses: In salads, on kebabs or simply as they are. To store: Keep at room temperature for the best flavour. Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? The confusion about 'fruit' and 'vegetable' arises because of the differences in usage between scientists and cooks. Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant Blueberries, raspberries, and oranges are true fruits, and so are many kinds of nut. Some plants have a soft part which supports the seeds and is also called a 'fruit', though it is not developed from the ovary: the strawberry is an example. As far as cooking is concerned, some things which are strictly fruits may be called 'vegetables' because they are used in savoury rather than sweet cooking. The tomato, though technically a fruit, is often used as a vegetable, and a bean pod is also technically a fruit. The term 'vegetable' is more generally used of other edible parts of plants, such as cabbage leaves, celery stalks, and potato tubers, which are not strictly the fruit of the plant from which they come.

Will you be able to guess the fruits next week? The answers will be online from break time on Friday.