Tag: Fruit confusion

Over 85% of consumers who have tried pitaya or dragon fruit are unaware that they are essentially the same fruit, just with regional name variations. This beautiful tropical fruit, known for its vibrant color and unique appearance, is now a global culinary phenomenon, particularly popular in smoothie bowls and other healthy food trends.

While often confused due to shared common names, scientific evidence confirms that *Garcinia cambogia* is not tamarind. This widespread mix-up stems from the fact that *Garcinia cambogia* is commonly known by the name Malabar tamarind, though it is botanically distinct from the true tamarind (*Tamarindus indica*).

The North American pawpaw fruit is not the same as the tropical fruit sometimes also called pawpaw, which leads to dangerous confusion over seed edibility. Can humans eat paw paw seeds, from either plant? The answer depends entirely on the species, and mistaking them can have serious health consequences.