Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or chokeberries – for the consumer it hardly matters whether the fruits are berries or other botanical forms of fruit. Botanically speaking, there are only a few true berry fruit varieties.
What counts in the definition of soft fruit?
Berry fruit refers to edible fruits that grow on perennial plants and are botanically true berries, such as blueberries, elderberries, currants, gooseberries, sea buckthorn and cranberries. However, from a botanical point of view, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are not included.
Real soft fruit
From a botanical perspective, only individual, round berries are soft fruits. The best known varieties are:
- Blueberry or Blueberry
- Elderberry
- currant
- Gooseberry
- Sea buckthorn
- Cranberry or cranberry
Berry fruit is edible and generally grows on perennial plants.
Many berries are not strictly speaking soft fruit
Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are not soft fruits, despite their name. These are collected drupes.
Fruits other than berries, such as mulberries, are actually nuts.
Due to their shape, which is round, small and soft - i.e. without a peel - these fruits are also traded as berries.
Tips & Tricks
Tomatoes also meet the definition of berries. However, they are classified as vegetables because they are annual plants.
