It all started with the Quizzo question: "What is the only fruit that has seeds on the outside?" My first thought was pineapples: the small black seeds are in the rind. But, I wasn't sure if they were "outside" enough to be the correct answer. Everyone looked to me since I was the man with the secret inside information. I finally decided on strawberries before I spoke, and said it with such commitment that everyone was proud to have me on their team. It was a guess. I was right. We won the points. Still, I didn't like not knowing for sure. I mentioned pineapples too just to prove my mental gears were turning faster than everyone else's. I looked like an expert, but inwardly I was embarrassed that it took so long to find an answer I wasn't even 100% sure about.
Obvious to anyone who knew me, I jumped online the moment I got home to research this further. I couldn't believe there was only one fruit to fall under that category, if it even really did. I already knew that it would all depends on how we define fruits and how technical we want to be. I'm very much aware that there are plenty of "false fruits" out there; things that we call fruit that aren't technically defined as fruit. Botanically speaking, cucumbers, beans, corn, and peas are fruits (while of course, culinarily speaking, they are all vegetables). As it turns out, strawberries are not real fruits, botanically speaking. So, in an alternate world where I don't have a sense of pride, I'd admit that I (and the Quizzo master, for that matter) was technically wrong. But not in this universe!
Anyway, while researching, I came across a wonderfully-written article that does a better job than I could to explain things in more detail (but still in layman's terms). Check it out if you've been baited with the curiosity bug or want to stump your friends and Quizzo pals:
