Although many people realize avocados are officially a fruit rather than a vegetable, you might be surprised to learn they fall in the same category as blueberries. You heard correctly; avocados fall scientifically into the category of berries. More precisely, their big pit in the center of the fruit defines them as single-seed berries; there are even more subtleties that qualify them for the label.
While fruit enthusiasts describe berries by their size, taste, and appearance, the scientific community groups berries based on their content and structure. Berries develop from one ovary of a plant; their outer covering is called the exocarp (in this case, the dark green, rough skin of the avocado); and either several seeds or a single big seed in the center. Between the skin and the seed is the fleshy mesocarp; in avocados, this edible light green flesh contains oils, vitamins, and fiber. Avocados satisfy all four requirements to be berries.
