What Is a Fruit and What Is a Vegetable?
Posted: Saturday, April 11, 2009
by Connor Davidson
You have all heard of that classic argument about whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. Well, now you can win the argument every time if you say a tomato is a fruit. Then go on and fly in the face of conventional wisdom by quoting the following… To understand what is a fruit and what is a vegetable you should first know the definition of a fruit and a vegetable. The definition of a fruit is:
Then you should know that a vegetable is defined as:
"A vegetable, in contrast, is an herbaceous plant cultivated for an edible part (seeds, roots, stems, leaves, bulbs, tubers, or non-sweet fruits). "
This means that all of these below are actually fruits and not vegetables:
- cucumbers
- squashes and zucchini
- avocados
- green, red, and yellow peppers
- peapods
- pumpkins
So when you are next out arguing about what is a fruit and what is not you can now quote the definition and be sure that you are correct.
Oh, while we are on the subject a peanut is actually a vegetable. But that's another story…
Connor Davidson 03/11/09
This Article has been viewed 311 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Connor, just don't tell me that beef is actually seafood and chicken is actuallly pork, or I'm in big trouble! Thanks for a very informative article!Just so you are; sure beef is not seafood and chicken is chicken.Thanks for the comment.
A pineapple is also a vegetable, remember that.Good article.Indeed it is...Do you mind if I add it into my list?Thanks for the comment.
I generally prefer fruit to veg, so even know cucumbers and avocados have desserted they vegetable companions, i certainly will not be having them in my fruit bowl. :-) Great articleIt is often difficult to imagine some fruit as veg and vice-versa.Thanks for the comment.
Hi Connor.I have also read somewhere that another way to look at it is that if you can harvest the part you wish to eat without killing the plant, it is a fruit. If you can not, then it is a vegetable. But both this and your cited definitions only go so far. The pineapple mentioned by Mr. Home is sweet (though you couldn't get my husband to admit that). And then there are grains. They are cultivated for their edible seeds, but no one I know of would consider wheat and oats and rye to be a vegetable. Jeez! You just shouldn't get me started on these sorts of issues. The pedantic nerd in me tends to come out a little too strongly. :)Hey, just ignore me ... it was a great article.DianneI agree with you.When I raise one question and try to answer it another is always raised.Thanks for the comment.Yeah, it's great, isn't it! Keeps the old brain cells firing. I love something that makes me think. Your articles always do that.Dianne
Hi Connor, thanks for this short and sweet informative read. I didn't know about the squash and zucchini, but now it makes sense.Great job! TeresaThanks for the comment.
Interesting info. Now instead of doing stupid human tricks at the next social gathering, I can impress everyone with a recitation of facts straight from this article. Good job.Ok...Thanks for the comment.
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