Re: Questions about the taste of fruits in general

I'll take the first question.
The fruits on your fruity list have 2 things going for them. First is a 
higher sugar content. The 2nd isn't really the flavor; it's the aroma. 
Those fruity flavors are not really detected in your mouth, but in your 
nose.
I might add that some tomato varieties could almost swing either way.

Steve in the Adirondacks



Jeff Root wrote:

> What distinguishes fruits which taste fruity from those which
> do not?  For example, apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries,
> and grapes usually taste fruity when ripe, while bell peppers,
> tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, olives, and squash generally do not.
> (When anyone other than a botanist mentions "fruit", what is
> meant is almost always a member of the first group, and not
> the second.)
>  
> Could you give me examples of:
>  
>   Parts of plants which taste fruity, but are not fruits.
>   (The only example I can think of is rhubarb.)
>  
>   Fruits which taste fruity but are not cultivated for food.
>   (And maybe some indication of *why* they aren't.)
>  
>   Fruits which do not taste fruity and are not cultivated for
>   food.  (And again some indication of why they aren't.)
>  
> Ultimately I'd like to have several widely-familiar examples
> of each.  I haven't been able to find much info about the taste
> of parts of plants not normally eaten.  :-)
>  
>   -- Jeff, in Minneapolis
>  
> Subtract 1 from my e-mail address above for my real address.
> .