Do you think of a banana as a berry?

Do you think of a banana as a berry?

Bananas Are Not Thought of as Berries Many are surprised to learn that bananas are classified as berries. Most people think of berries as small fruits that can be picked of plants, such as strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. However, botanically, these fruits aren’t considered berries.

What's the difference between a fruit and a berry?

On the other hand, fleshy fruits are the types we’re accustomed to — common fruits, such as apples, cherries and bananas. Fleshy fruit can be further subdivided into simple fruits, aggregate fruits or multiple fruits. Berries are a subcategory of simple fleshy fruit (1). Therefore, all berries are fruit but not all fruits are berries.

Why are bananas not classified as a fruit?

Fruits were named thousands of years before botanists came up with an official classification. This is a main reason why bananas don’t contain the word “berry” in their name and aren’t thought of as such. Bananas aren’t the only surprising fruit to fall under the berry subcategory.

Is there a difference between a banana and a raspberry?

But no, they're actually considered a berry, too—with one, giant seed. So, bananas are berries and raspberries aren't. Who knew?