Is a tomato a fruit or vegtable??

Question

My little sister told me once that it is a fruit.

Answer 1

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 2

Botanically speaking, a tomato is the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant: 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 vegetables, rather than at dessert. But due to the scientific definition of a fruit and a vegetable, the tomato still remains a fruit

Answer 3

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 4

The tomato is considered a FRUIT basically, because the seeds are inside.

Answer 5

the tomato is a fruit. although it is grown in a vegtable garden it truly is a fruit.

Answer 6

She's a smart girl!
Actually, I think women know these things better than us. You should hear the colours I'm told about. When My first proper house is being decorated, I'll be found in the study with an open computer. No one ask me if I want meusli with the fruit salad or if the bathroom should be painted in jelly pink (if that exists)

Answer 7

They're actually fruits, but most people refer them to vegetables instead of fruits, 'refer' as in... for example in the grocery store, you wouldn't find tomatoes besides the apples but besides the greens.

Hope that helped!
Jeremy

Answer 8

Definately fruit.

Answer 9

Its a fruit

Answer 10

It is classified as a fruit, but because it is not sweet like other fruit, we eat it as a vegetable. Lekker, anyway.