Unit 2

FRUITS AND NUTS

Fruits
Fruits are the ripped seed of any plant. They are very useful food and cultivated in all
parts of the world. Besides being fresh, fruits stimulate the appetite and its supply the
vitamins, minerals and sugar. If it is eaten raw and unpeeled they supply more fiber to
the body.

Classification of Fruits
1. Soft Fruit
Eg. Strawberries, Gooseberries, Black current etc.

2. Hard Fruit
Eg. Apple, Apricots etc

3. Stone Fruits
Eg. Plum, Peaches, Cherry, Litchi etc.

4. Citrus Fruits
Eg, Orange, Lemon, Grapefruits, Lime etc.

5. Tropical Fruits
Eg. Mango, Banana, Pineapple etc.

Cooking Techniques
Fruit can be cooked using moist- or dry-heat methods. Poaching, stewing and other
moist-heat methods are wonderful for dressing up plain fruit. Sauces and compotes
are usually made using moist-heat cooking.

Follow these tips for cooking fruit using moist-heat methods:

• Pears, apples, peaches, plums and apricots are commonly poached fruits.
• Use just enough liquid to cover the fruit.
• Keep fruit pieces uniform in size for even cooking.
• Let fruit rest in poaching liquid for 20 minutes after cooking to allow the flavor
to be absorbed.
• Some fruits, such as berries, will not hold their shape after poaching or stewing,
but they make a good hot fruit sauce.
• Dry-heat methods that enhance fruit include grilling or broiling, roasting or
baking, and sautéing. No matter what method we use, take care not to overcook
fruit. Exposure to heat breaks down fruits’ cell walls, which results in water
loss. The less time fruit is exposed to heat, the better it retains its shape. Quick
cooking methods are best for ripe fruit.

If roasting, grilling or sautéing fruit, follow these tips:

• Apples, apricots, bananas, pineapples, peaches, plums, pears, cherries and figs
are excellent fruits for dry cooking.
• Keep pieces uniform in size for even cooking.
• Be careful not to overcook the fruit or it will become mushy.
Preservation of Fruits
Method Fruits Uses

Dehydrated Apple rings, figs, dates, Dried fruit salad. Stewed fruits.
currants, sultans, raisins, apricot Steamed fruit puddings and
halves, peach halves, pear dumplings. Fruitcakes. Mince
halves, bananas pies.
Canned Solid packed apples, Mandarins, Fruit pies, crumbles, tarts, fruit
grapefruit, cherries, gateaux. Fruit salads. Sweet
gooseberries, peaches, plums; pastry flans and tarts. Puff
mixed fruits. pastry fruit items.
Candied Oranges, limes, lemons, Fruitcakes. Eccles cakes. Mince
grapefruit. pies. Christmas pudding.
Crystallized Peaches, oranges, lemons, Whole fruits served in the
plums, greengages, cherries, dessert fruit course of the meal.
mandarins
Glace Cherries Cakes. Decorating bakery items

Frozen Apples, gooseberries, plums, Fruit puddings and sponges.

blackcurrants, melon, Fruit crumbles. Pastry flans and
blackberries, raspberries, mixed puff pastry items. Fruit salads
fruits. and cocktails.
Juices Oranges, grapefruits, Chilled as an appetizer. With an
pineapples, apples, alcoholic drink as a mixer. Fruit
blackcurrants, mixed tropical punches and cocktails.
fruits, mixed citrus fruits.
Jam Raspberries, blackcurrants, Served to accompany toast,
strawberries, blackberry and scones, or teacakes.
apple plums.

NUTS
A nut may be defined as a hard, dry, single-seeded fruit, partially or totally enclosed
in a husk that remain with the fruit as it ripens. A layman’s definition of a nut would
be a seed or fruit with an edible kernel inside a shell.

Nutritional Value
Nuts contain a high percentage of carbohydrate in the form of starch, fat in the form
of oils, protein and mineral salts. They are of considerable importance to vegetarians,
 who may use nut in place of meat; they are therefore a food which builds, repair and
provide energy. Nuts are difficult to digest.

Storage
Dessert nuts, those with the shell on, are kept in a dry, ventilated store. Nuts without
shells, whether ground, flaked or whole, are kept in airtight containers.

Quality and Purchasing Points

• Nuts should be of good size.
• They should be heavy for their size.
• There must be no sigh of mildew.

Types of Nuts
1. Almond
184 calories per 100 gm and 16.8 gm
fat. They are full package of nutrient
and have more fiber, protein and other
nutrient than other nuts. It is good
source of Zinc and rich in vitamin E.

2. Ground Nuts/ Peanuts

175.5 calories and 14.9 gm fat. Peanuts
is a seed of legume family. Most
peanuts are grounded into powder.

3. Coconut
100 calories and 10 gm fats.
Coconut have major amount of fat.
Which contains mostly ploy saturated
fatty acids.

4. Hazelnuts Europe and china. The skin of this nuts

195 calories and 19.2 gm fat. is bitter taste but inside sweet in taste.
It looks like peaches and it is enclosed
in a round shaped. It is mostly grow in
5. Cashew nuts
183 calories and 15.3 gm Fat.
Their cells contain powerful oil and
these nuts are sold in sale. It have less
fat than any other nuts. It can be used
in dessert, gravies, bakery product etc.

6. Brazil Nuts
205 calories and 20 gm fat.
This nuts is native to Brazil and
attempt to cultivated in other countries
but fail. This brazil nuts trees are
around 150 ft tall and 6ft in diameter.
The size of the fruit of trees is about 3-
4 k, which contain 20-25 peaches of
seeds which is dried as nuts.

7. Pistachio
183 Calories and 15.3 gm fat.
It is the native middle east.
Pistachio have naturally brown
color cell. A pale green nut which
is high in calcium.

8. Walnuts
206 Calories and 21 gm fat.
Walnuts are high in healthy omega-
3 fatty acid when by uncell
walnuts. It is best to keep in
refrigerator or air tight container.
Walnuts are used in bakery product
and it is also used in salads, dessert
and savory dishes.

9. Pine nuts
207 calories and 21 gm fat. It is also
called pinonnuts. It is a small nuts
almost like tear drops. This nuts are
cultivated in pine cones. Pine nuts are
good for nutrition purpose and it is
used in cookies and Pasta dishes.
Preservation Techniques
Canning
Canning involves placing fruit and vegetables in airtight containers, typically glass
jars, and so prevent bacteria getting to them. Canned good can be stored on shelves
for years, if required.

Drying
Drying dehydrates the fruit or vegetables, removing all the water along with the
bacteria, yeasts and mold that live in the moisture. Besides altering the texture of the
food, drying also modifies the taste, typically concentrating it. More likely however,
is drying in an oven. The technique requires low temperature and good air circulation
so use the lowest setting and prop the oven door open – this allows the air that the
moisture has evaporated into to escape.

Freezing
Freezing fruit and vegetables soon after they are picked serves to ‘lock in’ the flavor
and freshness of the produce. Freezing and then thawing a vegetable or fruit is the
preserving method that will have an end product that most closely resembles the taste
of fresh food.

Uses
Nuts are used extensively in pastry and confectionary work and vegetarian cookery,
and also for decorating and flavoring. Nuts are added to breakfast cereals and are
therefore consumed daily by numerous persons.