FOOD NEWS
Common Types Of Produce That Are Man-Made
BY ANNA KOT
Oranges
It’s easy to take for granted the origins of our food, but you might be surprised to know that many popular fruits and veggies, like oranges, were created by humans.
Although wild, bitter oranges have been around for centuries, sweet oranges were created by humans, likely in ancient China around 314 B.C. through cross-breeding and selection.
Broccoli
You’d probably be surprised to know that broccoli is a human-made descendant of the wild mustard plant. Early versions were bitter with small, undeveloped heads.
It took many generations to create the large, tender broccoli we know today, including even newer types like broccolini and broccoflower, a cross of broccoli and cauliflower.
Tomatoes
Present-day tomatoes are vastly different from the small, cherry-sized tomatoes that people in South America first domesticated 7,000 years ago.
Even after millennia of cultivation, it wasn’t until the 19th century that tomatoes were bred specifically for their culinary value, creating larger, juicier varieties.
Grapefruits
Although citrus has been around for centuries, grapefruits are a relatively new addition to the family, created 300 years ago as a cross between a pomelo and mandarin.
It’s believed the fruits were first created by chance hybridization, but by the 1820s, Count Odette Philippe began cultivating the fruit in Florida to create the fruit we know now.
Bananas
There are hundreds of banana types, each of which have evolved from their wild ancestors under human domestication, creating the sweet, seedless fruit we now know.
Today, the Cavendish banana is the most common, but because most Cavendish bananas are almost identical clones, a single disease could wipe out the whole variety.