15 Fruits And Vegetables You Had No Idea Were Man-Made

“In France, they used to call me ‘love apple’. For a long time, people believed I would poison them and now you can’t make a bowl of salad without me. Guess who I am?” That was the uplifting journey of the tomato—one striking example of man-made fruits and vegetables. They have come quite a long way from cherry-sized, yellow wild fruits to the lush red, juicy varieties we know today.

What’s truly fascinating is that this transformation wasn’t solely the work of nature. Humans have played a significant role in the evolution of this breed. And the tomato isn’t alone—many common fruits and vegetables have enhanced in shape and grade, thanks to scientific advancement and modern farming techniques. Today we will explore the magic behind man-made vs naturally occurring produce that are most coveted by humankind.

What Is Meant By “Man-Made Fruits And Vegetables”? 

Centuries ago, people didn’t shop for produce the same way we do today. The majority of edible plants were low in nutrients, packed with seeds, and some were downright poisonous. Generations have gone by experimenting with naturally grown fruits and vegetables. 

After much research and trial, the results are in and they look pretty promising. Alright, let’s spill the beans—the bounty of delicious produce we enjoy today is man-made. It’s hybrid for the most part. There, we said it! Yes, I was just as surprised to learn that bananas are engineered. Here’s how the genetically modified food from the farm stands out:

• They are often larger in size
• They look more appealing in terms of shape and color
• They are easier to cultivate beyond their places of origin 
• They are more resilient 
• They are nourishing and of course, taste way better than their original forms

Thanks to years of modifications, these man-made fruits and veggies are now available in their enhanced variations to bring the best of all its traits. 

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How Are Man-Made Fruits And Vegetables Developed?

God created fruits and vegetables but us humans tailored them to fit our exact requirements. Several human cultivation strategies are at play behind these epic transformations, with selective breeding and cross-pollination being the most trademark ones. Let’s shed some light on how they work exactly:

Main features of Selective breeding

• Two parent specimens of plants with certain desirable qualities are handpicked for breeding
• The goal is to pass these traits on to the next generation 
• In the past, this selection was done based on the external appearance of these pants
• Modern technology allows us to pinpoint that one gene responsible for the chosen characteristics  
• Farmers identify the specimens with a suitable genetic profile and conduct breeding between them for the intended outcome 

Main features of Cross-breeding

• In cross-breeding or cross-pollination, pollens from the male reproductive parts (anther) of one flower are carried to the female reproductive part (stigma) of another 
• The transporters are typically bees, flies, moths, birds, or even air and water 
• The breeding occurs between two genetically different plants of the same species 
• The unique characteristics of both plants combine resulting in a wide range of genetic variation 
• The offspring are more adaptable to climate change, harmful insects, and other challenges 
• The entire process can be conducted under human intervention and supervision  

Thanks to advanced scientific techniques, we now have improved crops that not only give higher yield but also have better nutritional value. Let’s have a look at some of the fruits and vegetables that are man-made.  

15 Man-Made Fruits And Vegetables 

Let us introduce you to some of the finest hybrid produce available at your local markets. We bet you didn’t realize at least half of them are specially crafted. Here’s an exhaustive list of man-made fruits and vegetables—15 to be specific:

1. Orange 

Is orange man made or natural? Let’s settle the confusion. Undomesticated, wild oranges have existed since the beginning of time. Himalayan foothills of southern China and northeast India were the natural habitat of this citrus fruit family. 

However, the oranges we enjoy today—perfectly round, clad in saffron peels, and blissfully sweet yet tangy—are a result of years of selective breeding. It’s a man-made hybrid of Mandarins and pomelos to enhance their taste, size, and resilience to cold climates.  

2. Strawberry 

The heart-shaped treats available in the fruit aisle are not true to their original size. These red berries were ridiculously small and used as decorative items in 14th-century Europe. 

Modern strawberries, however, can be traced back to the 18th century. French agriculturists began to cross their native Fragaria moschata with strawberries imported from Virginia and Chile. After countless trials, they managed to tone down its inherent tartness and achieve an ideal enlarged variant. 

3. Peanut

Naturally occurring peanuts were somewhat bitter with smaller and harder exteriors. Around 10,000 years ago, various wild species of nuts thrived in wide regions of Argentina and Bolivia.

People from the Andean civilizations brought together two distant species Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis and cultivated them in closer proximity. Eventually, through natural selection and cross-pollination, the modern variety of peanuts started emerging. 

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4. Cauliflower 

Cauliflower—along with its cousins cabbage, broccoli, and kale—are prime examples of man-made vegetables. The entire family stems from a single ancient ancestor, the wild Brassica oleracea.

An Asia Minor and eastern Mediterranean native, Brassica underwent multiple rounds of selective breeding. At each stage, specific body parts of the plant were targeted. Cauliflower, as the name suggests, was developed from specimens with large, prominent flowers.  

5. Eggplant 

This member of the Nightshade family found its home in Southeast Asia, spreading across India, China, and Vietnam. Written records indicate that eggplants were domesticated in China as early as 59 BC. 

But this raises the question: Is eggplant manmade or natural? It is safe to say it didn’t acquire the smooth round or oval shape and vibrant purple hue without a human touch. Eggplants have come a long way from their spiny leaves and pale appearance to become a widely popular vegetable choice in many countries. 

6. Banana

Don’t we all love some perfectly yellow and sweet bananas to jazz up our morning serials and smoothies? Well, the natural bananas didn’t exactly taste or look like that 7,000 years ago. 

They either had an alluring appearance or a delightful taste. Two ancestor species Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana naturally cross-bred for thousands of years to land in today’s perfectly shaped, fleshy, seedless bananas. 

The process kickstarted under human intervention as they don’t grow directly from seeds and selected specimens need to be replanted for breeding.

7. Seedless watermelon

You can relax now if you believed as a child that the watermelon seeds would grow into a plant inside your stomach. Not more than fifty years back, watermelons used to taste bland and look pale inside. 

A cross-breeding between plants with two and four sets of chromosomes resulted in the red, juicy melons with zero seeds. Not that the seeds were in any way harmful. But the new version just makes it more convenient.

Talking about convenience, did you know that Japan invented square watermelons so they could fit properly on fridge shelves? They sure are living in the future!

8. Pluot

Some unique fruits and vegetables were created by man with total control over the pollination process and pluots are a recent addition to that list. This fruit is an absolute summer favorite among Americans. 

Pluots are the work of California-based horticulturist Floyd Zaiger who meticulously hand-pollinated plums and apricots in the 1980s. The offspring retained about three-fourths of the plum’s traits and one-fourth of the apricot’s. 

Pluots closely resemble plums in appearance and tangy flavor with a hint of apricot sweetness. Today, the USA leads in the mass production of quirky Pluot variants like Dapple Dandy and Flavor Grenade. 

9. Bell pepper 

The vibrant, rainbow-colored beauty of bell peppers makes it obvious they are not naturally occurring produce. A relative to Capsicum annum, the paprikas were widely cultivated in Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean for six to seven thousand years. 

Their brute forefathers were very small, fiery chilies packed with capsaicin, a compound responsible for the hotness. Selective breeding has tried to reduce the level of capsaicin while enhancing the size, fleshiness, and color. 

10. Tangelo

The debate over ‘Is Tangelo manmade or natural?’ almost doesn’t stand as its name screams hybrid. Tangelos are indeed a cross between tangerines or mandarins and pomelos or grapefruits. 

An early variant, the Minneola tangelo, was developed and released by the United States Department of Agriculture Horticultural Research Station in Orlando in 1931. This variety is a mingling of Duncan grapefruit and Dancy mandarin. 

While it’s easy to confuse tangelos with regular oranges, their signature bell-shaped neck will give them away. Their thin, shiny skin peels super quick, making them a hassle-free pulpy treat. 

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11. Grapefruit 

Did you know grapefruits are the product of a serendipitous accident? There’s a fascinating storyline. So this Englishman, Captain Shaddock of the East India Company, brought some pomelo seeds during his time in Barbados. He casually planted them, unaware there were orange trees growing nearby. 

Then nature happened. The pomelos cross-pollinated with sweet oranges, giving birth to grapefruits. They have no connection to grapes whatsoever, other than the fact that they grow in bunches, much like grapes.

12. Broccoli 

Broccolis are man-made, sure, but they are not something researchers whipped up in the lab. Traces of its cultivation are found in the 6th century BCE in the Roman Empire. 

Remember its ancestor Brassica oleracea? Originally this wild mustard bore loose, misshapen flower heads, unlike today’s tight-knit crucifers. Agriculturists focused on these flower heads for artificial selection, gradually refining the plant into broccoli. 

In modern times, broccoli spawns new hybrid vegetables with fancy names like broccolini and broccollete—a crossbreed of broccoli and Chinese kale gai lan.

13. Corn 

Corns occupy a significant length in the ‘evolution of fruits and vegetables’ chapter. Around 10,000 years ago, corn or maize was a staple food in ancient Mexico. They shared the same DNA with an untamed grass called teosinte. 

Teosinte is known for its smaller corn ears, and fewer scattered kernels covered in hard shells. Farmers began saving and replanting kernels from sweeter, more slender variants. After years of selective breeding, modern maize started taking shape. 

14. Seedless grapes

Munching on a crunchy seed while savoring a juicy grape is not exactly desirable. Enter seedless grapes. Due to genetic anomalies, seeds don’t get a chance to develop fully in some vine plants. And the seedless breed takes off from there. 

These plants are selected and further propagated through cuttings treated with rooting hormones. English viticulturist William Thomson contributed a great deal to developing a new variety of these fruits.  Known as Sultana grapes, they are prized for their juicy, sweet flavor and seedless convenience. 

15. Carrot 

Are carrots a man-made vegetable? You didn’t expect the answer to be a big fat ‘yes’, did you? Set your time machine to 5000 years in the past and you will encounter their undomesticated ancestor, Daucus carota, across Europe and Central Asia. 

The way these wild variants used to taste and look earlier is a different ballgame. People leaned toward their aromatic leaves and seeds rather than the carrot itself. 

The common slender, orange carrots are a 17th-century Dutch invention. Farmers in the Netherlands handpicked longer and sweeter yellow carrots for selective breeding. And the result is now a regular feature on your salad plate. 

How Safe Is It To Consume Man-Made Vegetables And Fruits 

Have you heard stories about the bad effects of man-made vegetables on your body? Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Selective and cross-breeding are absolutely natural processes that cultivate healthy produce for many centuries. Here’s what makes them safe and widely accepted:

• They have exceptional nutritional values with a high vitamin content as compared to theirits natural counterpart. They are specifically fortified with essential vitamins to combat malnutrition. 
• Research says that they are rich in antioxidants which help resist diseases like cancer or diabetes 
• You can store them fresh for longer than their naturally occurring counterparts 

Unless, of course, you mistook human-influenced breeding for GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). In this case, the core genetic sequences of plants are altered forcefully in the laboratory. It involves chemicals and DNAs from foreign bodies. 

Some consider GMOs to be toxic and damaging. 

Although all mass market products go through an inspection by authorized food and health agencies. If you are looking for man-made foods to avoid, watch out for the GM labels on certain products.

Man-made fruits and vegetables are the result of substantial efforts and research. It’s reassuring to know that we can tweak inedible natural crops to better meet our nutritional requirements. Moreover, mass production makes it a viable and economic option for people from all walks of life to enjoy a little exotic treat from time to time.