The other day at the grocery store, I noticed how many fruit labels were short and catchy. That got me wondering—are there fruits with names as short as three letters? Once I started thinking about it, I could only come up with a couple on the spot.
Curiosity got the better of me, so I made a list. To my surprise, there are more three-letter fruits than most people would guess.
In this post, I’ll share them with you, along with a little background on each one. Who knows—you might discover a new favorite the next time you’re shopping for fruit!
1. Féi
Féi bananas, with their striking red or orange skins and golden flesh, are unlike the bananas most people know. Native to the Pacific islands, especially French Polynesia, they have long been a traditional food for islanders and were carried with them as they traveled across the ocean. Instead of being eaten raw, Féi bananas are usually cooked, and their bright color shows they are rich in beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.
2. Fig
Figs are small, sweet fruits with soft flesh and tiny crunchy seeds inside. They grow on the Ficus carica tree and have been enjoyed for thousands of years, especially around the Mediterranean. You can eat them fresh or dried, and they are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Figs are not only tasty but also healthy, making them a favorite in both snacks and desserts.
3. Gac
Gac fruit looks like something out of a storybook, with its spiky skin that turns a glowing red-orange when ripe. Grown in Southeast Asia and parts of Australia, it’s often called a “superfruit” because it’s loaded with beta-carotene and lycopene, two powerful antioxidants. The seeds are wrapped in bright red pulp that is sometimes added to rice or drinks, giving them both color and a big nutrition boost.
4. Haw
Hawthorn berries, or haws, are small red fruits that grow on the hawthorn tree. In China, they are famous for being turned into sweet snacks like haw flakes, while in other parts of the world they’re used in jams, jellies, or even wine. Though people sometimes eat them raw, they are usually cooked or processed, since too many can upset the stomach. Haw fruits are also valued in traditional medicine, especially for supporting heart health.
5. Hop
Hops are cone-shaped flowers from the hop plant, and while they aren’t eaten like regular fruit, they are famous for flavoring beer. Farmers grow many different hop varieties, each adding its own mix of bitterness, floral, or citrus notes to drinks. Beyond brewing, hops are sometimes used in teas and herbal remedies. Only the female plants produce the hops we use, and they grow by climbing tall strings in special fields called hop yards.
6. Ita
The ita fruit, from the moriche palm of South America, is easy to recognize by its reddish-brown scales that shine like armor. These palms grow in swampy areas, where their fruits also play an important role in nature—fish like catfish eat them and spread the seeds during floods. For people, ita is a refreshing fruit rich in vitamins and often enjoyed fresh or made into juices, jams, and even frozen treats in parts of Brazil and Peru.
7. Kei
Kei fruit, also called Kei apple, is a tangy yellow berry from southern Africa. It grows on a spiny evergreen shrub or tree (Dovyalis caffra), valued both for its edible fruit and as a hardy ornamental hedge. Rich in vitamin C, its taste ranges from sharp and acidic to pleasantly tart-sweet, with hints of apricot and mango. The fruit is often used for jams, jellies, and preserves, becoming sweeter when fully ripe.
8. Nut
A nut is a type of fruit with a hard, woody shell that protects a single seed inside. True nuts include acorns, chestnuts, and hazelnuts, though many foods we call “nuts” (like almonds and cashews) are not nuts in the botanical sense. Nuts are prized for their high oil content, rich flavor, and nutritional value, making them important both in diets and in agriculture.
9. Pea
The pea (Pisum sativum) is a small, round seed from a pod-bearing plant. Botanically, peas are legumes, but they are often grouped with fruits since they develop from the ovary of a flower. They can be eaten fresh, dried, or cooked, and are widely used in global cuisines. Peas are also valued for their protein content and for enriching soil with nitrogen through their root nodules.
10. Pod
A pod is a fruit type that splits open when mature, releasing the seeds inside. Found in plants like beans, peas, and tamarind, pods vary in size and shape but generally form as elongated cases. They are a defining feature of the legume family and are important both as food sources and for ecological seed dispersal.
11. Ume
Ume is the Japanese name for Prunus mume, a fruit related to apricots but often called Japanese plum. Firm, tart, and sour, ume is rarely eaten raw. Instead, it is preserved in traditional foods such as umeboshi (pickled plums), transformed into sweet syrups and cordials, or fermented into umeshu, a popular liqueur. Ume has deep cultural roots in Japan and China, valued in cuisine, medicine, and seasonal symbolism.
12. Yew
The yew is an ancient evergreen tree, revered in folklore and often found in old European churchyards. Its bright red, berry-like structures are called arils, which surround toxic seeds. While the fleshy aril is edible, the rest of the plant is highly poisonous. Yew trees can live for thousands of years, making them symbols of immortality and death. Beyond mythology, compounds from yew have been used in modern medicine, including cancer treatments.