Tag: Lauraceae family

Despite both being classified botanically as berries, bananas and avocados belong to entirely different plant families. While they are both staple fruits in many cuisines, their genetic lineage is not related at all, stemming from different botanical orders and evolutionary paths.

The avocado is botanically classified as a large, single-seeded berry, not a citrus fruit. This surprising fact immediately clarifies that an avocado is not a citrus fruit, despite common culinary classification confusion.

Botanically, an avocado is a single-seeded berry, a fact that surprises many who think of it as a vegetable due to its savory taste. This unique fruit family classification places it in the Lauraceae family, alongside other aromatic plants like cinnamon and bay laurel.

Dating back to 2000 BC, when Egyptians used it for embalming, cinnamon has been a highly prized commodity. So, what does cinnamon classify as, botanically and culinarily? While most know it as a spice, its true classification is more specific and fascinating, rooted in the bark of evergreen trees from the Lauraceae family.

Cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices, prized by ancient civilizations and traded globally for centuries. So, does cinnamon count as a plant? While the powder in your pantry is a processed spice, it originates directly from the bark of a specific type of evergreen tree.