9 Fruits And Veggies That Have Been Completely Transformed Over The Past Centuries

Tomatoes

It took tomatoes 1,000 years to get their modern appearance. They used to be very small, like today’s cherries. They were also yellow, so people called them golden apples. After turning the tomatoes red, the farmers started working on increasing their size. Thanks to this, the tomatoes acquired their crimson color, but the taste got worse, making modern tomatoes more watery than their sweet and savory ancestors.

Avocado

Wild avocado’s size is not that impressive, and it contains practically no edible pulp. The modern fruit is ten times larger than its wild cousin and much tastier. Decades of selective breeding have created a miracle thanks to which everyone can now enjoy a healthy avocado salad.

Eggplant

The original eggplants were round in shape, resembling, you know – eggs. Hence the name – “egg plant.” The vegetables used to be very diverse in size, shape, and color. Due to the bitter aftertaste, they were not used for cooking, but the “what’s bitter must be good for you” argument got the eggplants into the medicine business. The modern elongated appearance and the purple color were achieved thanks to centuries of hard work and selective farming.

Watermelons

This berry has gone through quite the puberty phase. The first batch of watermelons was harvested in Egypt about 5,000 years ago. The berries were tiny in size and had a bitter taste. But thanks to the colossal efforts of the farmers, by the 17th century, watermelons acquired their modern appearance. However, they were still different on the inside – the dry pulp had a pinkish tint, but several decades of additional selective breeding have successfully improved their juiciness.

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