The Bitter fruits Are very nutritious and can be used to prepare various dishes, which in combination with other ingredients, are rich.
Despite the common belief that fruits are sweet and vegetables are bitter, the reality is that they are classified because of their origin, not to their taste. Regardless of its origin, it is always advisable to follow a series of tips To consume them.
Fruits and vegetables come from plants and fruits would be their"ovaries"since they contain the seeds of these.
However, vegetables are taken from any other part of the plant such as potato tuber, radish root, asparagus stem or onion bulb.
Bitter fruits very common
1- The eggplant
The eggplant Is a bitter edible fruit of the Solanaceae genus. Many consider it a vegetable and prepare it as such, but the eggplant is a fruit.
It contains few vitamins, proteins and minerals and its main component is water with 92% of its composition. It is rich in potassium and contains almost no calories.
This species supports the cold and grows in different types of climate although it requires a lot of light to germinate. On the other hand, aubergine can cause allergy because of its high amine concentration.
2- The elephant apple
It belongs to the plant family Dilleniaceae, native to Asia and grows especially in Bangladesh, India, China, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. This fruit is bitter and sour and is used a lot to prepare spices like curry or jams like the ouu khatta in India.
It is a large round fruit of yellow or green color and has many seeds and its pulp is fibrous. In the jungles in Asia is prohibited its collection and commercialization since this fruit constitutes the main food of the monkeys and elephants that inhabit.
3- The thorny or trifoliate orange tree
This fruit belongs to the rutaceous family, originating in China and is a relative of the citrus fruit. It is very resistant to cold and is therefore used as a graft in commercial plantations of several citrus species.
Its fruit is bitter and its shell is hairy. It is used to prepare sweets and dressings and in China it is considered that its dried shell or in syrup has medicinal effects. In contrast, flavorings are prepared in Europe.
This species is tolerant to the citrus tristeza virus (CTV) caused by a virus, which affects orange, mandarin and grapefruit.
4- The almond
The almond Is a cinnamon-colored fruit wrapped in an outer shell that is not edible. The edible part of the fruit is 40% of its mass, while the rest corresponds to the shell.
Almond based oil is used as an emollient and the essence is used in perfumery for its rich aroma. In addition, there are other important uses of almonds. Its taste is bitter, but delicious.
5- The fruit of Santan
It can be sweet or bitter and its seeds are not edible. It is considered that there are two different species: yellow and red santol.
Red santol is the most common and the fruits are similar to peach, but with a reddish tint. Both types have thin or thick shells. In general, the seeds of the santol are not edible and can cause intestinal perforation.
6- The aeocarpus angustifolius
It is a floral plant of the family Elaeocarpaceae, whose fruit is bitter and edible. It is known as the Blue Marble Tree, Blue Fig or Blue Quandong in Asia, although it is not related to the figs or to the true quandongs.
Its scientific nomenclature also has a synonym"Elaeocarpus grandis", invented by Ferdinand von Mueller, who described this species. Its fruit is round and blue with 20 or 30 mm of width and with a seed. The fruits of this tree are called Rudraksha and are used in the glazing in India.
7- The aligustre or henna
It is a shrub that gives a berry black, bitter and toxic. Which does not mean that you can not eat even if it needs to be cooked.
The shrub is 2 to 3 meters high and has green leaves lanceolate and opposite, similar to those of olive and white flowers, fragrant and gamopétalas.
8- The bergamot
It is a sour citrus fruit whose juice is bitter. Its size is small and its shape is similar to that of pears, so is its stem. Its aromatic skin is a source of essential oil.
The oil extracted from the skin is used as a flavoring agent for Earl Gray and Lady Gray tea, and is also used in confectionery. You can also produce jam using this fruit as the main ingredient. For example, in Greece it is prepared with everything and skin and boiled in syrup. Generally, it is considered that bergamot could have neuroprotective effects.
9- The pumpkin
The pumpkin Is the fruit in berry calabacera and belongs to the Cucurbitáceas that are mostly herbaceous, climbing or creeping. Other fruits such as watermelon, melon, cucumber and zucchini belong to this group.
The squash pulp is bitter and hard, so it must be cooked before eating it. All types of squash are large. His skin is hard and his flesh is orange. However, there are many types of squash and many shells are used to make dishes and other type of kitchenware.
10- The cucumber
It also belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae and is a fruit that is composed of water (97%) and other components.
Cucumber is native to India, where it is grown more than 3000 years ago. It is a typical element of salads and is beneficial for the skin, so it is used in cosmetology.
In addition to water, it contains vitamin C, mucilages, essence, carotenes, amino acids and cellulose. Cucumbers with high cellulose content are indigestive and can cause intoxication in humans.
11- The avocado or persea americana
The avocado Belongs to the family Lauraceae and is a fruit that occurs in tropical and Mediterranean climates. This fruit is considered to be native to Mexico.
This yellow-green or reddish-brown drupe is large and has a round pear-like shape. It is 8 to 18 centimeters and is fleshy and edible. It is used to prepare salads and dishes like guacamole.
In addition to the fruit, it is considered that the seed can be consumed boiled or scratched. 70% of the amino acids in the fruit are in the seed.
12- The tomato
It is a fruit of the family Solanaceae. There are different types of tomatoes, between small and large but some of them bitter.
Tomato is used to prepare sauce, mashed potatoes, salads, juice and other dishes. When they are not yet ripe, they are green and turn red with maturation. Its 2.5-3 by 2 mm seeds are ovoid, brownish and contain abundant mucilaginous mass.
This food contains few calories and is also an antioxidant and grows on any type of soil that has good drainage, since the only thing it can not stand is waterlogging.
13- The pepper or chile
It is a fruit of Solanaceae. They are native to South and Central America and can be sour, bitter and spicy and are of various sizes. They arrived in Europe with colonization and then distributed around the world.
They are used as seasoning or spice for cooking meat or salads and are rich in vitamin C and carotene. Studies indicate that pepper can make acute pain disappear, since its molecules are able to traverse the cell wall.
14- The noni or the fruit morinda
The noni Is about the same size as a potato and is used as a dietary supplement although its taste is bitter and does not smell good.
It is yellow when it has not ripened and white when it does. He is credited with many health benefits. As a curious fact, it grows on well drained soils and is tolerant to salinity and drought. In addition, Noni has a neuroprotective and antibiotic effect.
15- The momordica charantia or bitter melon
It is one of the most bitter plants among fruits and in South America is called tomaco. This species of the family Cucurbitaceae is tropical and subtropical and although its distribution area is well known, its origin has not yet been determined.
It is widely cultivated in Asia, Africa and the West Indies and is considered to have antibiotic, anticancer and antiviral effects.