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Secrets in Aisle 3

Hindustan Times West UP

|

July 20, 2025

Peaches were once green; carrots were slender and yellow; and the watermelon had white flesh. We've been fine-tuning plants for thousands of years, and we're still doing it. See how we turned once-inedible wild vines into food, the impact of that on plants today - and where we're headed next. Bananas that pack a vaccine punch, and cabbages with a sting, are involved

- Anesha George

The ghosts of who our fruits and vegetables once were still hover in our midst... in the carvings on Egyptian tombs, in Ancient Roman frescoes, and in art works dating to centuries ago.

Here, peaches are green; carrots are small, slim and yellow; and the watermelon has white flesh.

Over thousands of years, humans have hybridised plants to make them easier to digest, more nutritious, higher in sugars and carbs, or simply better-tasting.

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