Other Things
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? |
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The confusion about 'fruit' and 'vegetable' arises because of the differences
in usage between scientists and cooks. Scientifically speaking, a tomato is
definitely a fruit. True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of
the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant (though cultivated forms may
be seedless). Blueberries, raspberries, and oranges are true fruits, and so
are many kinds of nut. Some plants have a soft part which supports the seeds
and is also called a 'fruit', though it is not developed from the ovary: the
strawberry is an example. As far as cooking is concerned, some things which are strictly fruits may
be called 'vegetables' because they are used in savoury rather than sweet cooking.
The tomato, though technically a fruit, is often used as a vegetable, and a
bean pod is also technically a fruit. The term 'vegetable' is more generally
used of other edible parts of plants, such as cabbage leaves, celery stalks,
and potato tubers, which are not strictly the fruit of the plant from which
they come. Occasionally the term 'fruit' may be used to refer to a part of a
plant which is not a fruit, but which is used in sweet cooking: rhubarb, for
example. So a tomato is the fruit of the tomato plant, but can be used as a vegetable
in cooking.
Other questions in this section:
Is a banana a fruit or a herb?
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?
Is the letter Y a vowel or a consonant?
Silent h
What does the abbreviation q.v. mean?
What is the 'Oxford comma'?
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