Tomato ;-)
Botanically speaking, a tomato is the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant, that is 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.
2006-09-14 01:04:27
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answer #1
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answered by SAM 5
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A tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable. I also think than an avocado is a fruit.
2006-09-14 01:17:45
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answer #2
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answered by Sylvia P 2
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Tomato.
2006-09-14 01:03:00
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answer #3
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answered by kitty fresh & hissin' crew 6
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Avocado, Tomato, Lemons, Anything that has seeds( or a seed) it's not considered a veggie, it's a fruit.
2006-09-14 01:38:39
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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A tomato is a fruit, not a veggie.
2006-09-14 01:03:50
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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Definately a tomato!
2006-09-14 01:01:37
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answer #6
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answered by Dahv Inchi 3
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Tomato - used to be called a love apple!
2006-09-14 01:02:40
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answer #7
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answered by Gone fishin' 7
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Tomato ?
2006-09-14 00:57:59
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answer #8
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answered by Andy 6
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Anything with a visible seed is a fruit...David Attenborough said so!
2006-09-14 03:22:03
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answer #9
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answered by Pretorian 5
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Erm strawberry
2006-09-14 00:58:11
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answer #10
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answered by god0fgod 5
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