Photos: Six (6) Weird Shaped Vegetables

An unusually shaped vegetable is a vegetable or fruit that has grown into a shape not in line with its normal body plan. While some examples are just oddly shaped, others are heralded for their amusing appearance, often because they resemble a body part such as the buttocks or genitalia.

1. The Starchy Seal

This sweet potato seems to have decided it didn’t want to be a root vegetable anymore, and instead, was going to be a seal. And might we say that it is doing a splendid job and we wish it the best of luck with its future watery endeavors.

Yet what gives these fruits and vegetables their quirky shapes? The answer’s simple. It’s science! There’s a fair few reasons why a fruit or vegetable can grow into an odd shape, but the main reason is damage to its scar tissue. If during its early growth it receives scarring, it can halt growth and cause a deformity. Meanwhile, root vegetables can take on strange appearances because of inconsistent soil fertilisation.

2. The Lucky Duckling

This lucky duckling is actually a tomato! Did it fool you? Probably not, seeing that it is bright red and attached to a tomato bush. How did this happen? It appears that two conjoined-twin tomatoes grew together to form a head, beak and body.

3. Bath Time

There’s nothing quite like a nice hot bath. And when you’re a carrot, it only makes sense that you would take a bath in a nice bowl of stew, complete with potatoes and green beans. Yum! This carrot looks fully human with its arms and legs.

4. Screaming Peppers

Imagine cutting into a bell pepper and seeing these faces staring back up at you. These odd bell peppers are telling us exactly how they feel about being cut in half. Some people would think twice before eating these incredibly frightened pieces of veg.

5. Granny Smith

This apple took the name Granny Smith just a little too literally. Its face looks exactly like an old lady or possibly the Wicked Witch who poisoned Snow White. Ironically, this apple could be both the poisoned apple and the witch all in one.

6. One Foot Ahead of the Game

It must have been quite a shock unearthing this radish from the ground. At first look, it can easily be mistaken for a human foot. Yikes! It’s complete with five toes that look eerily similar in size to a full-sized human foot.