Go Bananas with this Ultra-guide to Fruit Vocabulary in English

Having a good diet can improve your quality of life. To eat healthily, your doctor may tell you what, to be honest, we all know: you must add fruits and vegetables to your meal plan. Some people love them, some people hate them. But no one can deny that they are an important source of many essential nutrients, such as potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, and magnesium.

Today we will talk about fruits in English. Look around your kitchen: how many fruits do you have around? Would you be able to name all of them in English? If you do not know how to say their names in English, keep reading. We will give you an extensive vocabulary of fruits. You will also learn the names of the most popular fruits in English, as well as the names of some fruits you may never have heard about before. Besides that, we will explore idioms about fruits that are common in English.

How many fruits are there?

There are around 2,000 types of fruits around the world. The fun fact is that the Western world, which is made up of Europe, the Americas, and Oceania, consumes only 10% of those. There are so many types of fruits in the world that maybe your favorite fruit is unknown to someone who lives in a different country than you. Also, there are different varieties of the same fruit.

I live in southern Brazil. Whenever I go to the supermarket or to the farmer’s market, I always get confused when buying bananas. There are at least six different varieties and some of those varieties have different names within Brazil. I always struggle finding the one I like. I must be honest and tell you I have bought the wrong type more than once.

Did you know fruits are actually parts of flowering plants? The fruits are used to disperse the seeds of the plant. Some fruits, though, are seedless, such as bananas, pineapples, some types of grapes, and some varieties of watermelon.

The 5 most consumed fruits in the world

Although there are more than 2000 types of fruit in the world, most people eat only a fraction of that. Think about your kitchen. How many different fruits do you have there now? Right now, I have bananas, oranges, apples, and tomatoes. How about you? Let us learn a little more about these five popular fruits.

1. Tomatoes
2. Bananas
3. Watermelons
4. Apples
5. Oranges

Tomatoes

What if I told you that the most consumed fruit in the world are…tomatoes? Yes, tomatoes! Even though some people may believe tomatoes are vegetables, they are, in fact, fruit. They can be consumed in several different ways, such as fresh, sundried, or canned. People consume tomatoes every day in pizza, pasta sauces, and ketchup. The biggest producer of tomatoes is China, with almost 57 million tons a year.

Pronunciation: is it ‘tomayto’ or ‘tomahto’?

This is a common question among English learners. But do not worry. The only difference between them is that ‘tomahto’ is more common in British English, while ‘tomayto’ is more used in the USA. Both pronunciations are considered correct and you will be understood no matter how you say it.

List of fruits: a complete guide by color

Exotic fruits you should add to your grocery list

Whenever you feel like eating a fruit other than bananas or apples, review this list below. These fruits are extremely tasty, and you will not regret giving them a try. The challenge here is finding them in your neighborhood grocery store. Let us know in the comment section down below if you decide to try any of them!

• Passion fruit
• Star fruit
• Acai berry
• Pomegranate
• Guava
• Dragon fruit

Idioms with fruits

Do you remember the definition of “idiom”? No? We have got you covered.

Idioms are groups of words. Those groups together mean something different than what those words mean separately. They have a lot to do with the culture of the people who use it and that is why we cannot always translate them. Sometimes, even if we cannot translate it, it is possible to have an equivalence in another language.

For instance, while English speakers say “It is raining cats and dogs!” to say that it is raining a lot, Brazilian Portuguese speakers will say “Está chovendo canivete!”, which literally means “It is raining pocket knives!”. You probably have some equivalent expression to that in your native language, don’t you?

Let us learn some food idioms in English.

Idiom	Meaning	Example
The apple of somebody’s eye	Used to refer to someone a person likes very much, the favorite.	Mary’s son is the apple of her eye.
Go bananas	To become very angry, upset, or excited.	My sister went bananas after I told her the news.
Apples and oranges	Used to say two things are completely different, therefore you cannot compare them.	You cannot compare public and private schools. It is apples and oranges.
The apple does not fall far from the tree	Used to say a child has similar qualities to his/her parents.	Chloe is a great singer, just like her dad. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Bad apple	Someone who creates problems or causes trouble for others, bad influence.	In any group you will find bad apples.
A plum job	A good job that pays well.	Shirley hops to find a plum job in Chicago.

Games and exercises

We hope this helps you improve your vocabulary of fruits in English. Now we want to ask you a question: what is your favorite fruit? Is there any exotic fruit you like eating? Tell us more about it!