Is a Tomato A fruit or Veg???

Answer 1

it is a fruit because it has seeds. therefore, anything that has seeds in them naturally, are fruits.

fyi, the coconut, as someone mentioned above, is a huge seed.

Answer 2

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 not as sweet as those foodstuffs usually called fruits, and it is typically served as part of a main course of a meal, as are other vegetables, rather than at dessert. As noted above, the term "vegetable" has no botanical meaning and is purely a culinary term.

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.

Strictly speaking, the holding of the case applies only to the interpretation of the Tariff Act of March 3, 1883 and not much else. The court does not purport to reclassify tomato for botanical or for any other purpose other than paying a tax under a tariff act.

In concordance with this classification, the tomato has been proposed as the state fruit of New Jersey. Arkansas takes both sides by declaring the "South Arkansas Vine Ripe Pink Tomato" to be both the state fruit and the state vegetable in the same law, citing both its botanical and culinary classifications.

But, due to the scientific definition of a fruit and a vegetable, the tomato still remains a fruit when not dealing with tariffs. Nor is it the only culinary vegetable that is a botanical fruit: eggplants, cucumbers, and squashes of all kinds (including zucchini and pumpkins) share the same ambiguity.

Answer 3

Fruit

Answer 4

Fruit

Answer 5

Botanically a fruit, it has been nutrionally categorized as a vegetable. Since "vegetable" is a culinary term, there is no contradiction in a plant part being a fruit botanically while still being considered a vegetable.

To be more specific the tomato is the ovary, together with it's seeds, of a flowering plant. However, since it isn't as sweet as other foods classified as fruits it is generally used as part of a main course with other vegetables.

It also belongs to the same genus as eggplants and potatoes.

BTW - What about potatoes which don't have any seeds but belongs to the same genus as the tomato? What about bananas? No visible seeds. Fruit or vegetable?

Answer 6

According to the defination of fruits and veggies, the Tomato is clasified as a fruit.

However, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that it was a veggie in the 1800, due to the fact that fruits were not controled, inspected, or taxed when entering the country and veggies were.

I don't know if this ruleing has been overturned. But that is the offical answer, and how the controversy began in the first place.

Answer 7

To really figure out if a tomato is a fruit or vegetable, you need to know what makes a fruit a fruit, and a vegetable a vegetable. The big question to ask is, DOES IT HAVE SEEDS?

If the answer is yes, then technically, you have a FRUIT. This, of course, makes your tomato a fruit. It also makes cucumbers, squash, green beans and walnuts all fruits as well. VEGETABLES such as, radishes, celery, carrots, and lettuce do NOT have seeds (that are part of what we eat) and so they are grouped as vegetables.

Now don't go looking for tomatoes next to the oranges in your grocery stores. Certain fruits like tomatoes and green beans will probably always be mostly referred to as "vegetables" in today's society.

NOW YOU KNOW!

Answer 8

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 not as sweet as those foodstuffs usually called fruits, and it is typically served as part of a main course of a meal, as are other vegetables, rather than at dessert. As noted above, the term "vegetable" has no botanical meaning and is purely a culinary term.

Answer 9

By the botanical definition, the tomato plant is a fruit-bearing plant. There is no botanical definition for vegetable. A curious bit of trivia: the tomato fruit is a berry. No kidding.

Answer 10

A fruit!! Another fact: The only difference between a fruit and a vegetable is that fruit ripen off of the plant, and vegetables don't)

Answer 11

A tomatoe is a Fruit because it has seeds...Good question :0)