Fruta

Fruta is the term used in Spanish and Portuguese to refer to the edible fruit of flowering plants. In everyday use, it denotes the sweet, fleshy product consumed as food. In botanical terms, a fruit is the mature ovary and surrounding tissues of a flowering plant, developed after fertilization to protect seeds and help their dispersal. Thus, culinary fruit and botanical fruit overlap but are not always identical categories.

Fruits are commonly grouped as simple fruits (develop from a single ovary, e.g., apple, peach), aggregate fruits (from multiple ovaries of one flower, e.g., strawberry), and multiple fruits (from many flowers, e.g., pineapple).

From a nutritional perspective, fruits are primarily water-rich and sources of sugars, dietary fiber, vitamins such as vitamin C, minerals, and phytonutrients. They are typically consumed fresh, cooked, or processed into juices, jams, and dried products.

Commercial fruit production is widespread in temperate and tropical regions, with orchards, groves, and plantations. Postharvest handling emphasizes ripening management, storage, and transport. Global trade moves a large variety of fruits year-round, with major producers located across Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

Fruits influence cuisines and traditions and play roles in seasonal cycles and cultural calendars. They are valued for flavor, versatility, and nutritional contributions, and their use ranges from everyday snacks to dessert courses and industrial processing.