Before Selective Breeding: Fruits and Vegetables That Look Out of This World

When we eat cucumbers, carrots, or eggplants, we have no idea that many fruits and vegetables used to look completely different. For example, cucumbers were spiky like cacti, and carrots were purple. Our curiosity led us to discover what some of the familiar fruits, vegetables, and berries looked like before they were cultivated.

Eggplant

© Philipp Weigell / Wikimedia Сommons, © CC BY 3.0, © Urek Meniashvili / Wikimedia Сommons, © CC BY-SA 3.0

Today, we enjoy a variety of eggplants in different shapes, colors, and sizes. However, early versions of these plants did not produce edible fruits and were more ornamental, resembling chicken eggs.