When we think of fruits , we often picture sweet, fleshy, seed-filled treats like apples, bananas, or oranges. But pineapple —that tropical delight with spiky skin and golden flesh—is an exception in many ways. Beyond its exotic flavor and iconic status in fruit salads, there's a botanical twist that stirs curiosity among scientists and food lovers alike: pineapple is not a true fruit . Instead, it's what's known as a false fruit or more precisely, a multiple fruit . So, what exactly does that mean? ๐ฑ The Science Behind False Fruits and True Fruits To understand why pineapple is a false fruit , we first need to understand the botanical definition of a true fruit . In botany, a true fruit develops from the ovary of a flower after fertilization and contains seeds, which serve as the next generation of the plant. A false fruit , on the other hand, is formed from additional floral parts aside from the ovary. These parts can include the receptacle (the thickened part ...