Pits, seeds or stones?

Fonte: http://blogdadisal.blogspot.com.br/2013/10/pits-seeds-or-stones.html

Por Stella E. O. Tagnin

Pits, seeds or stones?

Fruits have those little things inside, which we usually don’t eat. In fact, some are not that small! Think of an avocado, for example. They are generally called seeds,but not always. Well, when they are really small, they are called seeds. Here is a list, from COCA (www.americancorpus.org) as usual, for the noun collocates ofseeds:

1	SESAME
2	PUMPKIN
3	SUNFLOWER
4	FENNEL
5	MUSTARD
6	CUMIN
7	POPPY
8	POMEGRANATE
9	CARAWAY
10	WEED
11	CORIANDER
12	CELERY

 Sesame seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Sunflower seeds

 Fennel seeds

 Mustard seeds

Some fruits, however, have a pit or stone, which has a seed inside. They are calledstone fruits. Plums, cherries, peaches, apricots and nectarines fall into this category:

Plum pits                            

Cherry pits                          

  Peach pits

 Apricot pits

 That is why there is the verb to pit, which means “to remove the pits”:

·         To pit olives, crush slightly with the flat side of a knife blade, then remove pit.

          ·         Halve and pit the avocado.

Now, let’s move to the outer part of the fruit, which we usually don’t eat either. That is why we peel bananas, oranges, apples and other fruits, and some vegetables too, like carrots:

·         Peel apples, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges

 

Lemons, limes, oranges and bananas have peels:

·         A shallow glass bowl of lemon peel.

·         Stir lime peel into cooked rice.

·         Place 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon orange peel and the remaining ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. 

·         A good turn may consist in removing a piece of banana peel from the pavement.

A number of fruits and vegetables, though, have skins:

·         Try to eat a banana or a potato skin to keep your potassium up. 

·         Apple skin is where the nutrients are concentrated. 

·         Find out how to use pineapple skins in your kitchen and home, and give those scraps a second life! 

The peels of citrus fruits are also called rinds:

·         Season to taste with lemon juice and grated lemon rind.

·         Stir together lime rind and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl.

·         1 teaspoon chopped cilantro # 1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind.

Notice that rinds occurs mainly in recipes and usually in a collocation with grated:grated lemon rind, grated lime rind.

Actually, grated lemon rind – and also very small pieces of lemon peel -  are calledlemon zest:

 

But these are also rinds:

 Watermelon rinds                                            

  Melon rinds

Canteloupe rinds

Confusing? Not really!

Seeds are “sementes” in Portuguese, and pits and stones are “caroços”.

For peels, skins and rind we only have one word: “cascas”.

And zest is “casca ralada”.

Now you’re ready to enjoy your piece of fruit, but – depending on which fruit it is – better pit it and peel it first!

Bon appetit!

Stella