why are potatoes considered vegetables when there actually roots& tubers?

Answer 1

its not a scientific term, it is more a culinary term. vegetables have traditionally been identified as parts of plants that we eat.

carrots, raddishes, taro and yams are also roots/tuberoues but are traditionally called vegetables.

as with:

celery, onion, rhubarb and garlic - more stem/bulb

lima beans, okra, peas - podded vegetables

cucumber, avacado, zuchinni - fruits

good luck!

Answer 2

This for the tomato issue:

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

Eastacademic's answer is spot on. Give him best answer. It's a conflict between botanical and culinary terms.

Whether something has seeds or not, or grows underground or not, has nothing to do with the issue. There are seedless fruits too - does it mean they are not fruits?

PS: A tuber is a modified underground stem, not a root.

Answer 4

Why is spinach considered a vegetable when it is a bunch of leaves?

Answer 5

You seem really pre-occupied with the naming fruits and vegetable. Are you a little OCD.

Answer 6

I'm still trying to figure out the tomatoes are a fruit thing!

Answer 7

anything that grows underground is a vegetable that is why tomato's aren't considered veggies and why potatoes are

Answer 8

They call them ROOT vegetables.

Not meat-gluttons though, they call potatoes "carbs".