What is a....Tomatoe.....Fruit or Vegetable? I do know but do you..?

Answer 1

Botanically speaking, a tomato is the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant, i.e. a fruit or, more precisely, a berry. However, from a culinary perspective the tomato is typically served as a meal, or part of a main course of a meal, meaning that it would be (and is) considered a vegetable.

This argument has led to actual legal implications in the United States, Australia and China. In 1887, U.S. tariff laws that imposed a duty on vegetables but not on fruits caused the tomato's status to become a matter of legal importance. The U.S. Supreme Court settled this controversy in 1893, declaring that the tomato is a vegetable, using the popular definition which classifies vegetable by use, that they are generally served with dinner and not dessert. The case is known as Nix v. Hedden (149 U.S. 304). While the Tomato can be classified as a fruit, it is officially categorized as a definite vegetable in the United States.

The USDA also considers the tomato a vegetable.

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

Tomato If A Fruit But Doesnt Taste Like One (I Hate Tomatoes)

Answer 4

Tomato's are fruit but I've always considered them a vegetable. They just seem like a veggie because they aren't sweet like fruit.

Answer 5

I have no idea whether a tomatoe is a fruit or a vegetable.

A tomato, however, is absolutely and undeniably a fruit.

Answer 6

It's a fruit being used as a vegetable..

Answer 7

Tomatoes are scientifically a fruit that were legally declared a vegetable in 1893 by the Supreme Court.
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/cheerstotomatoes_07162001.xml&categoryid=/templatedata/bhg/category/data/PartyPlanner_GeneralThemeIdeas.xml&page=3

The tomato is the world's most popular fruit. And yes, just like the brinjal and the pumpkin, botanically speaking it is a fruit, not a vegetable.
http://www.didyouknow.cd/tomatoes.htm

In the plant family, the tomato is classified as a fruit (berry), but when eaten it resembles a vegetable.
Source: www.hormel.com

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0781697.html

Answer 8

Fruit. Seeds.

Answer 9

Tomatoes have been officially named a fruit, because it bears seeds and grows on a vine.

Answer 10

Although tomatoes were, and sometimes still are, referred to as "Love Apples", the U.S. Gov't classifies them as veggies. Remember when President Regan classified packets of ketchup (catsup) as a vegetable suitable for the school lunch program, because it contains more than 50%tomatoes?