(Cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, and avocados are all fruits too, according to science.). The explanation lies in the two different ways that "fruit" is defined. In 1893, the high court was forced to rule on whether imported tomatoes should be taxed under the Tariff Act of 1883, which only applied to vegetables and not fruits. "But in the common language of the people … all these are vegetables which are grown in kitchen gardens, and which, whether eaten cooked or raw, are, like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, and lettuce, usually served at dinner in, with, or after the soup, fish, or meats which constitute the principal part of the repast, and not, like fruits generally, as dessert.". In New Jersey, it’s the official state vegetable. For some reason, people got hung up on tomatoes, but the “fruit or vegetable” question could also work for any vegetable with seeds. Is A Tomato A Fruit Or A Vegetable? Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. ). "The thing a tomato plant produces isn't a part of the plant itself, any more than the egg a chicken lays is part of the chicken, or the apple is part of the tree on which it grew," Merriam-Webster wrote. And while your elementary-school teacher or know-it-all friend may have informed you that tomatoes are technically fruits, the answer isn't so clear-cut. "Botanically speaking, tomatoes are the fruit of a vine, just as are cucumbers, squashes, beans, and peas. ", In a blog post, the dictionary explained it in simpler terms: "Any thing that grows on a plant and is the means by which that plant gets its seeds out into the world is a fruit. Nutritionists recognise the terms as they are commonly used, and tomatoes are listed as a vegetable under USDA guidelines. Even the Supreme Court has weighed in on the issue. That idea was channeled more than 100 years later in a quote attributed to journalist Miles Kington, who may have settled the debate once and for all: "Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wait. The classical vegetable/fruit story is the tetchy tale of the tomato. If tomato is a fruit not vegetable, so does that mean ketchup is a smoothie? © ScienceAlert Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Botanically, a fruit is a ripened flower ovary and contains seeds. The tomato is grown worldwide for its edible fruits, with thousands of cultivars. The tomato is beloved coast to coast. The explanation lies in the two different ways that "fruit" is defined. In reality, tomatoes are both fruits and vegetables at the same time. Vegetables, on the other hand, have a slightly murkier definition. According to Merriam-Webster, a fruit is "the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant." According to Merriam-Webster, a fruit is "the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant. A fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 5–10–10 is often sold as tomato fertilizer or vegetable fertilizer, although manure and compost are also used. This article was originally published by Business Insider. Tennessee crowned it the official state fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad," he said. The confusion about 'fruit' and 'vegetable' arises because of the differences in usage between scientists and cooks. Although both sides cited dictionary definitions of the two words, the court sided unanimously with #TeamVegetable. And "fruit" can be a culinary term, too – described as "having a sweet pulp associated with the seed" and "used chiefly in a dessert or sweet course," according to Merriam-Webster. Tomatoes, plums, zucchinis, and melons are all edible fruits, but things like maple “helicopters” and floating dandelion puffs are fruits too. First, it is true that scientifically speaking, tomatoes are fruits. And Arkansas, making things clear as mud, calls the local pink tomato the official state vegetable and fruit.. So scientifically, fruits don't have to be sweet, but in the kitchen, most people would classify the fruits that fall on the savoury side, like tomatoes, as vegetables. The critical distinction is that, according to the dictionary, a vegetable must be part of a plant or the whole plant itself, while fruits are just the means by which certain plants spread their seeds. No food straddles the line between fruit and vegetable more famously than the tomato. 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). ", That definition includes apples, tomatoes, and anything else that grows from a plant and contains seeds. Justice Horace Grey summed up the argument succinctly: "Botanically speaking, tomatoes are the fruit of a vine, just as are cucumbers, squashes, beans, and peas," Grey wrote in the court's opinion. It's a word we use to group together a wide range of plants whose parts are edible and herbaceous, like roots, stems, and leaves. — Khalifa. The best Target Black Friday 2020 deals happening now — including discounts on Casper mattresses, Nintendo Switch games, Beats headphones, and more, The best Black Friday deals of 2020 live now, buying advice, and everything else you need to know today, Best Buy's Black Friday deals that are live right now include Sony TVs, Bose headphones, Dyson vacuums, iPads, and more, 6 American oil executives were sentenced to prison time by a Venezuela judge, We found the best Black Friday Apple deals live now: Save big on AirPods, iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and more in 2020. But the confusion arises because "vegetable" isn't a botanical classification so much as it is a culinary one. First, it is true that scientifically speaking, tomatoes are fruits. (@DaRealKsM) March 31, 2018.

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