Fruit Category

Fruit
Includes berries, citrus fruit, melons, tropical fruit, and tomatoes
Fruits are the matured ovaries of plants, containing the seeds for the next generation of plants. Many plants cunningly make their fruits sweet, the better to attract animals like us to eat them and disperse the seeds. Fruits are often delicious enough to eat out of hand, but they can also be made into tarts, compotes, shakes, juices, preserves, liqueurs, and many other things.
pumpkin, jack o'lantern pumpkin, pie pumpkin, sugar pumpkin
pumpkin
Use the small sugar pumpkin = pie pumpkin for pies; the larger jack o'lantern pumpkin is too watery. Canned pumpkin purée is convenient and a good substitute for fresh.
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puya chili dried, pulla chile, puya pepper
puya chili dried
This is similar to the guajillo chile, only smaller and more potent. It has a fruity flavor that's good in salsas and stews. They are fairly hot.
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quince, golden apple
quince
This pleasantly tart fruit needs to be cooked before eating. Quinces are high in pectin, so they're commonly used to make jams and jellies. Some cooks simply bake them like apples. They come into season from August to December.
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quince paste, membrillo, dulce de membrillo
quince paste
This is a Spanish and South American delicacy that's similar to quince jam, only thick enough to cut into slices. It's terrific which cheese or nuts.
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raisins, dried grapes
raisins
The common raisins we see on supermarket shelves are usually dried Thompson seedless grapes. Golden raisins are amber in color and somewhat tart--many cooks prefer them over ordinary raisins for baking and cooking. Muscat raisins are dark and very sweet, and they work well in fruitcakes. Currants are about one-quarter the size of ordinary raisins, and are typically used in baked goods. Store raisins in the refrigerator after you open the package.
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rambutan
rambutan
These are similar to litchees and longans, but they're covered with soft spines. Peel before using.
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rangpur lime, lemandarin, mandarin lime
rangpur lime
This is similar to a mandarin orange, only more acidic.
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raspberry
raspberry
It's a real challenge to get these hollow, fragile berries to consumers before they spoil, so you'll have to pay a high price for those that make it. Many don't, so check them carefully for mildew before you buy them. A good alternative is to buy them frozen.
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raw green olive
raw green olives
These are for the rare cook who's intrepid enough to cure olives from scratch. Do not eat them raw.
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red Anjou pear
red Anjou pear
Very similar to a green Anjou pear.
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red Bartlett pear
red Bartlett pear
This tastes just like a yellow Bartlett, but it's more attractive and more expensive.
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red currant
red currant
With their brilliant coloring, red currants make terrific garnishes. They're also pleasantly tart, and often used to make jellies, syrups, and wine. Fresh ones are available in some markets during the summer, but frozen currants are acceptable substitutes for fresh in many recipes.
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red currant jelly
red currant jelly
Red currant jelly is tart and often served with lamb and venison.
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red delicious apple
red delicious apple
These sweet, soft apples are good for eating out of hand, but don't bake them or use them in pies. Avoid buying them in the summer; they sometimes get mushy.
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red globe grapes
red globe grapes
These are large red seeded grapes.
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Reed avocado
Reed avocado
This large, roundish avocado slips easily from the peel, and has excellent flavor and texture. It will stay firm even when ripe, so it's not a good choice if you're making guacamole.
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Rhode Island Greening
Rhode Island greening
These are especially good for baking.
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rocotillo pepper
This is a small, sweet, mild pepper that looks like someone stepped on it. It's fruity-tasting like a habanero, only not nearly as hot.
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rocoto chili, rocoto chile
rocoto chili
These very hot chiles look like tiny bell peppers and have black seeds. They have an interesting fruity flavor.
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Rome apple, Gillett's seedling, red rome, Rome Beauty apple
Rome apple
These are best used for baking and for making applesauce. They don't work well in pies.
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Rosa Bianca eggplant
Rosa Bianca eggplant
This Italian heirloom eggplant has sweet, mild flesh and a creamy texture. They're hard to find, but knowing cooks scoop them up whenever they're in season.
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rose apple
rose apple
These rose or green fruits are pear-shaped and are said to taste like rose water. The seeds are poisonous.
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rosella
rosella
This is grown in Africa.
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royal olive, Greek royal olive, Royal Victoria olive, Victoria olive
royal olives
This is large brown Greek olive is brine-cured.
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salak
salak
These are about the size of a plum and are covered with brown scales.
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Santa Claus melon, Christmas melon, Piel de Sapo
Santa Claus melon
This is distinguished mostly by its long shelf life--you can store an uncut Santa Claus melon for several months. They have thick rinds, so don't bother smelling them for ripeness--they don't give off much of an aroma.
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sapodilla, naseberry
sapodilla
This fruit looks like a bald, brown kiwi fruit.
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sapote, black sapote, Mexican custard apple, sapota
sapote
This is a family of sweet, tropical fruits. Varieties include the black sapote = chocolate pudding fruit, the brown-skinned, pink-fleshed mamey sapote = mammee = mamey, and the white sapote = zapote blanco.
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sauce tomato, Italian plum tomato, Italian tomato, paste tomato, plum tomato
sauce tomato
This tomato isn't as juicy as other tomatoes, which gives it a more concentrated flavor that works well in sauces and stews. These are also the best tomatoes for drying. You may want to remove the bitter seeds before cooking these tomatoes, but save the gel that surrounds the seeds--it's rich in flavor. Varieties include the roma tomato = Italian tomato = Italian plum tomato and saladette tomato. Sauce tomatoes are most flavorful in the summer. During the rest of the year, many cooks prefer canned tomatoes over the bland and mealy fresh tomatoes they usually find in markets.
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scallopini
scallopini
This is like a pattypan squash, only it's greener and rounder.
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Scotch bonnet chili, Scotch bonnet chile
Scotch bonnet chili
This extremely hot pepper is almost indistinguishable from the habanero, except that it's a bit smaller and has a fruitier flavor. It's popular in the Caribbean.
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Seckel pear, sugar pear
Seckel pear
These are small pears with red and green skins. They're very sweet and juicy and they'd be absolutely perfect if only the skins weren't a bit too thick.
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Serrano pepper
Serrano pepper
These have thin walls, so they don't need to be charred, steamed, and peeled before using. They are moderately hot. When dried, this is called a chile seco.
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Sevillano olive, Queen olive
Sevillano olive
This is a large, green, brine-cured olive.
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Seville orange, bigarade orange, bitter orange, marmalade orange, sour orange
Seville orange
These are too bitter to eat out of hand, but they make a wonderful orange marmalade and the sour juice is perfect for certain mixed drinks.
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Sharlyn melon, ananas melon, pineapple melon
Sharlyn melon
When ripe, this has an orange background with green netting. It's very perishable, so don't wait more than two days after getting it home to eat it.
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shishito chili, shishito chile
shishito chili
This Japanese chile is very sweet and mild with a grassy flavor. It's about two inches long.
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Sicilian eggplants, Sicilian zebra eggplant
Sicilian eggplants
These are large with purple stripes. They have thin skins and a subtle flavor.
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Sicilian olive
Sicilian olive
These are large, green, sour olives that are usually marinated with herbs. They sometimes pitted and stuffed with pimento, garlic, or jalapeño pepper.
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Sierra Beauty apple
Sierra Beauty apple
This is a juicy, crisp and somewhat tart apple. It doesn't hold its shape well when cooked, but it's great for eating out of hand.
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slicing tomato, beefstake tomato, globe tomato, oxheart tomato
slicing tomato
These large tomatoes are best for sandwiches and grilling. Varieties include the beefstake tomato and oxheart tomato. The red varieties tend to be more acidic than the yellow.
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soncoya
Soncoya is a somewhat obscure tropical fruit in the Annona genus. It is similar to the soursop and ilama.
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