FRUITS

Fruits that contain N

69 fruits containing the letter N — each with origin, classification, and notes.

List of Fruits That Contain N

    1

    African Cherry Orange

    Citropsis articulata

    A small, thick-skinned wild African citrus with intensely fragrant peel and tart pulp — used more for marmalade and traditional medicine than fresh eating.

    2

    American Mayapple

    Podophyllum peltatum

    An odd umbrella-leafed forest plant with a single yellow fruit hidden under its canopy — edible only when fully ripe, and toxic in every other part.

    3

    Banana

    Musa acuminata

    A tropical berry of the genus Musa, the most widely consumed fruit in the world by weight, mostly grown from a single sterile clone.

    4

    Blackcurrant

    Ribes nigrum

    A small intensely-flavored European berry that's a household staple in Britain and Eastern Europe but virtually unknown in the US — banned for decades to protect the timber industry.

    5

    Blood Orange

    Citrus × sinensis

    A red-fleshed orange variety from Sicily and Spain — its dramatic red color comes from anthocyanins triggered by cold winter nights, a chemistry trick most citrus regions can't replicate.

    6

    Boysenberry

    Rubus ursinus × idaeus

    A large dark purple hybrid berry created in 1920s California — half blackberry, half raspberry, with logan and dewberry mixed in — that became a Disneyland concession and Knott's Berry Farm legacy.

    7

    Buddha's Hand

    Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis

    A bizarre yellow citrus that splits into long finger-like segments — all peel and pith with no juice or pulp, used purely for fragrance and zest.

    8

    Calamansi

    Citrus × microcarpa (syn. Calamondin)

    A tiny citrus from Southeast Asia — a cross between mandarin orange and kumquat, producing a small round fruit with orange flesh and a thin green skin; intensely sour with aromatic orange notes, indispensable in Filipino and Malaysian cooking.

    9

    Canistel

    Pouteria campechiana

    A bright orange Caribbean fruit (also called egg-fruit) with the dry mealy texture of a hard-boiled egg yolk — eaten fresh, in shakes, or as a chilled custard.

    10

    Cantaloupe

    Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis (European); var. reticulatus (American)

    An orange-fleshed netted melon — the muskmelon of summer markets, named after a papal estate in Italy, eaten chilled with prosciutto or as a breakfast staple.

    11

    Carolina Reaper

    Capsicum chinense

    A bred-for-extreme chili pepper that held the Guinness record as the world's hottest from 2013 to 2023, with an averaged 1.6 million Scoville heat units.

    12

    Citron

    Citrus medica

    The ancient ancestor of all citrus fruits — a large, rough-skinned yellow fruit valued more for its thick, fragrant pith and essential oil than its sparse, acidic juice; the etrog used in Jewish Sukkot ritual and the source of candied peel worldwide.

    13

    Clementine

    Citrus × clementina

    A small, easy-peeling, seedless winter mandarin — accidentally created in an Algerian orphanage garden in 1902, now the most popular winter snack citrus in Western countries.

    14

    Coconut

    Cocos nucifera

    The seed of a tropical palm, technically a drupe rather than a nut, source of oil, milk, water, flesh, and one of the most-used ingredients in tropical cooking.

    15

    Cranberry

    Vaccinium macrocarpon

    A small, intensely tart red berry of North American wetlands — turned into Thanksgiving sauce by colonial Americans and into urinary-tract-infection folklore by mid-20th-century medicine.

    16

    Damson

    Prunus domestica subsp. insititia

    A small, intensely tart purple-blue plum almost too astringent to eat fresh — the British countryside fruit of choice for jam, gin, and preserves.

    17

    Dragon Fruit

    Hylocereus undatus, H. costaricensis, H. megalanthus

    The visually striking fruit of a Central American climbing cactus — bright pink-red shell with green spiky scales, opening to white or magenta flesh dotted with tiny black seeds.

    18

    Durian

    Durio zibethinus

    A spiky-shelled Southeast Asian fruit with intensely pungent custard-textured flesh — banned from many hotels and public transit in Asia for its smell, but called the "King of Fruits" where it's eaten.

    19

    Finger Lime

    Citrus australasica

    An Australian native citrus shaped like a small finger that releases tiny "caviar pearls" of tart citrus juice when cut open — a fine-dining garnish prized for its visual drama and crisp acidity.

    20

    Galia Melon

    Cucumis melo var. reticulatus

    An aromatic Israeli muskmelon hybrid created in the 1970s — netted yellow skin with pale green sweet flesh, considered the most fragrant of the supermarket melons.

    21

    Greengage

    Prunus domestica italica (Reine Claude group)

    The most complex and honey-sweet of all plums — a green-skinned, golden-fleshed European plum with a flavour of remarkable depth, described as combining honey, apricot, and fresh cream; considered by many to be the best-tasting plum variety, though its thin skin, tendency to split, and small size make it commercially unviable.

    22

    Honeyberry

    Lonicera caerulea

    A long blue Siberian honeysuckle berry (also called haskap) that ripens before strawberries, survives -40°F winters, and tastes like a blueberry-raspberry-blackberry hybrid.

    23

    Honeydew

    Cucumis melo (Inodorus group)

    A pale-green melon with smooth white-yellow rind and pale-green flesh, milder and sweeter than cantaloupe — a summertime hydration fruit.

    24

    Jalapeno

    Capsicum annuum

    A medium-hot Mexican chili pepper with thick walls and bright vegetal heat — eaten fresh, pickled, smoked into chipotles, or stuffed and breaded.

    25

    Japanese Plum

    Prunus salicina

    An East Asian plum species that's the basis for most modern American supermarket plums — large, juicy, with red or yellow skin and easily separated flesh from a small pit.

    26

    Juniper Berry

    Juniperus communis

    Not actually a berry but the female cone of the juniper tree — a small dark blue spice used for centuries to flavor gin, game meats, and northern European preserves.

    27

    Kiwano

    Cucumis metuliferus

    An African horned melon with bright orange spiky skin and electric-green jelly flesh — striking enough to be sold as decoration, with a mild banana-cucumber-lime flavor.

    28

    Langsat

    Lansium parasiticum

    A small, grape-sized tropical fruit of Southeast Asia — langsat grows in tight pendant clusters on the trunk and branches of tall trees, with thin, yellow-brown skin that releases a milky latex when broken; the translucent, jelly-like flesh is divided into segments, varying from sweet-tart to slightly bitter depending on how the seed is handled when eating; a beloved fresh fruit in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

    29

    Lemon

    Citrus limon

    A bright yellow citrus with sharply acidic juice and aromatic peel — possibly the single most-used fruit in the global kitchen for its capacity to brighten everything.

    30

    Lingonberry

    Vaccinium vitis-idaea

    A small, tart red berry of the boreal forests of Scandinavia, North America, and Russia — similar in appearance to cranberry but smaller and sharper; the essential condiment of Swedish cuisine, served with meatballs, game, and pancakes.

    31

    Loganberry

    Rubus × loganobaccus

    A 19th-century California garden hybrid — half blackberry, half raspberry, dark red, intensely flavored, and the historical ancestor of modern boysenberries and tayberries.

    32

    Longan

    Dimocarpus longan

    A small Asian fruit related to lychee but smaller, milder, and with a clear translucent flesh — the "dragon eye" of Chinese markets, eaten fresh or dried as a tonic ingredient.

    33

    Magellan Barberry

    Berberis microphylla

    A small dark Patagonian berry (also called calafate) — Tierra del Fuego's iconic fruit, with a folk legend that whoever eats one will return to Patagonia.

    34

    Mandarine

    Citrus reticulata

    A small loose-skinned orange citrus — the original ancestor species behind clementines, satsumas, tangerines, and most modern winter snack-citrus varieties.

    35

    Mango

    Mangifera indica

    A tropical drupe known as the "king of fruits" in South Asia, prized for its sweet, juicy flesh and grown across more than 100 countries.

    36

    Mangosteen

    Garcinia mangostana

    A purple-shelled tropical Asian fruit with snow-white segmented flesh of intense sweet-tart flavor — the "queen of fruits" to many connoisseurs, banned from U.S. import for decades, now slowly returning.

    37

    Marionberry

    Rubus 'Marion'

    An Oregon-bred blackberry hybrid, named for Marion County — the defining berry of Pacific Northwest pies, jams, and ice cream, prized for its complex sweet-tart flavor.

    38

    Melon

    Cucumis melo

    The general category covering hundreds of *Cucumis melo* varieties — cantaloupes, honeydews, galias, casabas, and dozens more — eaten across cultures from breakfast to dessert.

    39

    Meyer Lemon

    Citrus × meyeri

    A sweeter, thinner-skinned lemon with floral orange notes — a natural hybrid of lemon and mandarin orange discovered in China and popularised in California; prized for its edible skin, minimal bitterness, and fragrant juice.

    40

    Monstera Deliciosa

    Monstera deliciosa

    The fruit of the Swiss cheese plant — a fragrant tropical curiosity that ripens over 12 months, tastes like pineapple-banana, and is mildly toxic until fully ripe.

    41

    Mouse Melon

    Melothria scabra

    A grape-sized Mexican vine fruit (also called Mexican sour gherkin or cucamelon) that looks exactly like a tiny watermelon but tastes like a tart cucumber-lime.

    42

    Musk Melon

    Cucumis melo var. reticulatus

    The catch-all category for fragrant netted-skin melons including American cantaloupes — named for the musky aroma of fully ripe fruit, central to summer fruit traditions worldwide.

    43

    Nashi Pear

    Pyrus pyrifolia

    The Asian pear — round, apple-shaped, with golden-yellow skin and exceptionally crisp, juicy, grainy white flesh; doesn't soften like European pears but is eaten firm and crunchy, with a clean sweet flavour.

    44

    Nectarine

    Prunus persica var. nucipersica

    A smooth-skinned variant of the peach, the same species genetically with one gene difference, often slightly more tart and aromatic than its fuzzy cousin.

    45

    Noni

    Morinda citrifolia

    A striking, waxy, pungent tropical fruit — the noni (Indian mulberry) produces lumpy, white-yellow fruit year-round on small trees throughout the Pacific and Indian Ocean tropics; the ripe fruit has a powerful, distinctively unpleasant smell that has earned it nicknames including cheese fruit and vomit fruit; despite this, it has been consumed by Pacific Islander peoples for millennia and became a major health food fad in the early 2000s.

    46

    Orange

    Citrus sinensis (sweet) / Citrus aurantium (bitter)

    A bright citrus with sweet juicy flesh and aromatic peel, the world's most widely cultivated fruit by tonnage and the namesake for the color itself.

    47

    Passion Fruit

    Passiflora edulis

    A small purple or yellow tropical fruit with intensely fragrant pulp full of crunchy edible seeds — the wow ingredient of cocktails, sorbets, and Latin American desserts.

    48

    Persimmon

    Diospyros kaki (Asian); D. virginiana (American)

    An orange-red fall fruit with two distinct varieties — astringent (must be fully ripe) and non-astringent (eaten firm) — central to Korean and Japanese autumn traditions, dried into kaki sticks.

    49

    Pineapple

    Ananas comosus

    A tropical multiple fruit with spiky armor and a crown of leaves, sweet and acidic, eaten fresh, juiced, grilled, or canned.

    50

    Pineberry

    Fragaria × ananassa

    A white strawberry with red seeds and intense pineapple-vanilla flavor — a re-bred near-extinct South American wild strawberry that's become a viral specialty fruit since 2010.

    51

    Plantain

    Musa × paradisiaca

    A starchier cousin of the banana, eaten cooked across tropical cuisines from West Africa to Latin America to South Asia — fried, mashed, boiled, or grilled, but rarely raw.

    52

    Pomegranate

    Punica granatum

    A tough-skinned fruit packed with hundreds of jewel-like seeds (arils), each surrounded by tart-sweet juice — a Persian native steeped in mythology.

    53

    Quandong

    Santalum acuminatum

    Australia's native peach — a small, bright red fruit with tart, tangy flesh and a large deeply ridged stone; a staple of Aboriginal Australian diet for thousands of years, now increasingly used in Australian native cuisine and bush food products.

    54

    Quince

    Cydonia oblonga

    A pear-shaped, fragrant, hard-fleshed fruit eaten almost exclusively cooked — the basis of Spanish *membrillo* paste and a foundational ingredient in Mediterranean and Persian sweets.

    55

    Raisin

    Vitis vinifera (dried)

    A dried grape — concentrated sweetness from the most ancient food-preservation method, central to baking, snacking, and cuisines from Persian to Mexican to American school lunchboxes.

    56

    Rambutan

    Nephelium lappaceum

    A small Southeast Asian fruit with a fluorescent red shell covered in soft pliable spines, opening to reveal lychee-like translucent flesh — visually startling, mild and sweet to eat.

    57

    Redcurrant

    Ribes rubrum

    A small, jewel-like red berry — translucent, intensely tart, and a classic Northern European garden fruit used in jellies, sauces for game, and showcase dessert garnishes.

    58

    Salmonberry

    Rubus spectabilis

    A bright orange-pink Pacific Northwest forest raspberry — eaten fresh by hikers, cooked traditionally by Coast Salish peoples, a key indicator of healthy temperate rainforest ecology.

    59

    Sea Buckthorn

    Hippophae rhamnoides

    A thorny coastal shrub producing dense clusters of tiny bright orange berries — extraordinarily rich in vitamin C (ten times more than oranges), omega-7 fatty acids, and carotenoids; the astringent, intensely sour berries are too sharp to eat raw but make vivid orange juice, jams, and syrups popular across Northern Europe and Russia.

    60

    Seville Orange

    Citrus aurantium

    The bitter orange used for the world's most celebrated marmalade — too sour and pungent to eat fresh, its thick peel and intensely flavoured juice are perfect for jam-making; the brief winter season (January–February) is eagerly awaited by British marmalade makers, and the orange's history in Spain stretches to the Moorish period.

    61

    Surinam Cherry

    Eugenia uniflora

    A small red ribbed Brazilian backyard fruit (also called pitanga) with intense complex flavor between cherry, raspberry, and tropical resin — extreme polarity between underripe (terrible) and ripe (delicious).

    62

    Tamarind

    Tamarindus indica

    A sticky brown pod-fruit with intensely tart-sweet pulp — fundamental to Indian, Southeast Asian, Mexican, and Caribbean cuisines, providing sour acidity in pad thai, chutneys, and chamoy.

    63

    Tangelo

    Citrus × tangelo

    A tangerine-pomelo hybrid with a distinctive nipple-like bump at the stem end — juicy, sweet-tart, easy to peel, and the genetic ancestor of several modern grocery citrus varieties.

    64

    Tangerine

    Citrus tangerina (a mandarin variety)

    A small, sweet, easy-to-peel citrus fruit, a member of the mandarin orange family that gives most modern citrus hybrids their sweetness.

    65

    Voavanga

    Vangueria madagascariensis

    A small, tart-sweet African fruit (also called Spanish tamarind) eaten fresh or made into juice, with bright orange flesh around large flat seeds and a flavor between apple and tamarind.

    66

    Watermelon

    Citrullus lanatus

    A large, water-rich melon with a thick striped rind and bright pink-red flesh — a summer staple worldwide and originally an African crop.

    67

    White Currant

    Ribes rubrum (white-fruited variant)

    A pale translucent variety of redcurrant — sweeter, less acidic, eaten fresh more than its red sibling, and once a fixture of Victorian dessert tables for its jewel-like appearance.

    68

    Ximenia

    Ximenia americana

    A small, sour-sweet yellow-orange fruit known as wild plum or sea lemon, eaten across African savannas and used for its oil-rich seed in traditional cosmetics.

    69

    Zucchini (botanical fruit)

    Cucurbita pepo

    Botanically a fruit (a *pepo* berry) though treated culinarily as a vegetable, the zucchini is the most-grown summer squash and a green-skinned, tender-fleshed kitchen workhorse.

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