Fruit or vegtable, I don't get it?

Question

A tomato is considered a fruit not a vegtable

so what are the factors by which fruits and vegtables are classified?


What makes them a fruit or vegtable?

I thought it was because of seeds too but some vegatables have seeds right.. what about cucumbers???

I'll check out your links..

and whats up with the first answer to my question.. is that even an answer????

I thought it was because of seeds too but some vegatables have seeds right.. what about cucumbers???

I'll check out your links..

and whats up with the first answer to my question.. is that even an answer????

Answer 1

From "The Straight Dope" website:
A fruit is the matured ovary of a flower, containing the seed. After fertilization takes place and the embryo (plantlet) begins to develop, the surrounding ovule becomes the fruit. There are four types of fruit..simple, aggregate, multiple and accessory, which explain things like berries and pineapples.
A vegetable is considered to be edible roots, tubers, stems, leaves, fruits, seeds, flower clusters, and other softer plant parts. In common usage, however, there is no exact distinction between a vegetable and a fruit. The usual example is the tomato, which is a fruit, but is eaten as a vegetable, as are cucumbers, peppers, melons and squashes. The classification of plants as vegetables is largely determined by custom, culture and usage.
A grain is described as the dry fruit of a cereal grass, such as "the seedlike fruits of the buckwheat and other plants and the plants bearing such fruits". So, grain is also a fruit.
Which brings us to the nut. A nut is, in botany, "a dry, one-seeded, usually oily fruit" True nuts include the acorn, chestnut, and hazelnut. The term nut also refers to any seed or fruit with a hard, brittle covering around an edible kernel, like the peanut, which is really a legume. A legume is defined as "(the) name for any plant of the pulse family; more generally, any vegetable. Botanically, a legume.. a pod which splits along two sides, with the seeds attached to one of the sutures..is the characteristic fruit of the pulse family." A "pulse" is "the common name for Leguminosae or Fabaceae, a large family of herbs, shrubs, and trees, also called the pea, or legume, family."
So, I guess that we have learned today that just about everything is a fruit, unless of course, it is a vegetable or legume.
Aren't you glad you asked?

Answer 2

This seems to be the most acceptable answer I am with you though. When that same question came up the other day I came back with Well? what about chayote squash?
I was told that was a fruit too. But squash is a vegetable soooooooooo..
Is the tomato a fruit or vegetable?

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.

Answer 3

I think in general, it's the sugar content. The seed of a tomato and a grape are pretty similar, the seeds are in the center along the little string like core. There are fruits and vegetables that grow on vines. Mostly tress grow fruit, but strawberries don't grow on trees. There are not nice clear differences.
Just call them as you se them!

Answer 4

Tomatoes are considered fruits because of the seeds thats what they taught us at school anyway, but what is a green pepper then they have seeds too, if you ask me i would just say fruit because they are sweet and juicy

Answer 5

Fruit and vegetable are both grocer's terms and botanic terms. Strictly speaking if it has seeds it is a fruit. For a grocer It depends on how the item is used. If it is sweet and usually throught of as a desert it is called a fuit. If it is used in a salad or with an entre it is a vegetable.

Answer 6

Fruit: Raspberries Veggie: Cucumbers

Answer 7

I thought that a tomato was a fruit, as it has seeds in it, like an apple.

Answer 8

its the type of seed... I dont understand it but if you compare the seeds of a tomatoe and a grape it kinda makes sense.. but then again a peach is a fruit and it has a pit

Answer 9

If it has a seed or seeds - it's classified as a fruit.
No seeds, it's a vegetable

Answer 10

Technically. tomato is a berry. All berries are considered to be fruit.