The Ultimate Fruit List You Simply Can Not Have Enough Of!

Fruit Benefits

Before getting into a listing of fruits, it would be apt to delve about some of the benefits that apply to them in general, i.e. such benefits apply across a number of different fruits.

Firstly, you will find that most fruits are rich in fiber, thus helping with digestion.

Further, they contain a number of different nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals. These include Vitamins A, C, and E, along with minerals such as folic acid, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Now, each of these vitamins and minerals in turn has its own set of unique benefits.

Overall, regular fruit intake is associated with many health benefits including but not limited to lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, which in turn lowers your risk of many cancers, heart disease, stroke, among others.

We recommend viewing the following video which offers good insight into the wide-ranging health benefits that fruits in general have to offer:

Fruit Families

This is the primary section of this article where we make informal groupings of common fruit lists. This makes it much easier for you to identify “fruit families” if we can call them so, while also getting a collective sense of their distinct characteristics, primary benefits, and so on.

This fruit list includes fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, kiwis, redcurrant, mulberries, and blackcurrants, among others.

If we are to highlight distinct characteristics of berries, these would include being juicy, usually round, and predominantly either sweet or sour in taste. Further, most berries to not have a distinct seed in the center as seen in the case of many other fruits.

Besides direct consumption in their natural form, berries find common usage in making items such as jams, baked items such as cakes and muffins, and a variety of different juices. Additionally, berries are frequently dried or frozen not just to extend their shelf life but also to have them in a different form which is edible in its own right. Dried mulberries or blueberries for instance have their own unique appeal and flavor.

Berries typically have similar sets of benefits as is seen in case of other fruits or fruit families. Therefore, whether it is about being well-endowed with anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals, you will find berries to easily make the cut. Additionally, they are also known to have powerful anti-inflammatory capabilities.

Citrus Fruits

This is a genus of fruits which is typically characterized by a reasonably sour taste as well as the fact that they are especially blessed with Vitamin C. Instances of fruits in this family which make it to this particular fruit list compilation include grapefruits, oranges, lemons, lime, and pomelos.

If we look back at the legacy of this fruit family, you will find that they were not global in nature initially. Instead, they were more typical to Asia, especially South and Southeast Asia, along with places in Oceania. It was only later that they were taken to other parts of the world where they did find solid footing, even managing to flourish in some places.

Besides the sour taste that we mentioned above, citrus fruits are well-known for their acidity, especially citric acid. As a result they tend to preserve fairly well on their own, thus making suitable choices for fruits transported over reasonable distances. Citrus fruits also tend to have a distinct aroma of their own, which is particularly felt through the rind on the exterior. 

In terms of uses, citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits are frequently consumed on their own, as is. At the same time, it is quite common to consume them as juices. Lime is frequently used to add a sour, tangy tinge to many dishes including salads, drinks, and a variety of culinary preparations.   

The benefits of citrus fruits are pretty much in line with that of other fruits – such as berries discussed previously, so we won’t get into too much detail on that.

Melons

Melons are another informal group of fruits we are looking at in this fruit list which are typically characterized by a round shape, bulk, and an edible portion which is fleshy and usually sweet.

Instances of fruits in this category include watermelon, muskmelon, honeydew, winter melon, canary melon, sugar melon, cantaloupe (which has distinct variants such as the North American and European cantaloupes), Argos, and Galia, to name the most common ones.

As with other fruits, melons can be consumed in their raw, natural form as well as made into squashes, juices, and more. Some cultures combine the sweetness of melons with the savory taste of other ingredients to come up with rather unique and exotic food items. Gōyā chanpurū from Okinawa, Japan would be quite a good example, which sees bitter melon mixed together with eggs, tofu, and pork.

Melons tend to have wide-ranging benefits; their large and fleshy structure often means they are good for an entire meal in themselves, especially breakfast in many places right around the world.

Stone Fruit

These are fruits which are formally referred to as drupes. The “stone” reference comes from the fact that there is a hard seed (like a ‘stone’) inside them.

A number of different fruits qualify as stone fruits including plums, peaches, mangoes, apricots, pecans, olives, amla (Indian gooseberry), and cherries to name a few.

As with other fruit families showcased in this fruit list, stone fruits can be consumed as is while also being made into a number of other forms. Mangoes alone find usage in a number of different ways, across cultures. Additionally, if we take the case of olives, the oil made from them is today commonly consumed in various parts of the world.

Stone fruits come with a number of different benefits, as with other fruit families.

Some other common fruits