what are tomatoes classified as?

Question

a fruit or vegatable?
please give specific sources.

Answer 1

this simple question has three answers:
1- the standard definition that is used by all ppl in all the world is: a fruit is sweet and vegetable is a plant product that is not sweet = so here u find that it's not a fruit ( i don't find it sweet).

2- what i know is what ever comes from a flower is a fruit and this explain that tomato is a fruit,

3- and i know too that whatever have seeds is fruit, but in this information we find a problem that is: if this it's true, this means that peper, cucumber ... and all the other vegetables that contains seeds r fruits.the explanation for this point is:

Fruit - in its strict botanical sense, the fleshy or dry ripened ovary of a plant, enclosing the seed or seeds. Thus, apricots, bananas, and grapes, as well as bean pods, corn grains, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (in their shells) acorns and almonds, are all technically fruits.

Vegetables,are:
- Root crops like potatoes, carrots and turnips
- Bulbs like onions and garlic
- Stems like asparagus
- Leaves like lettuce and cabbage
- Flowers like broccoli and cauliflower

so my dear both r true, means saying tomato is a fruit or a vegetable depends of ur situation: if u r speakinf with a saleman in the grocery u will speak as tomato is a vegetable and when u r scientifically speaking u say tomato is a fruit.

here r some links for u:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_a_tomato_considered_a_fruit
http://greennature.com/article616.html
http://dan.hersam.com/2005/04/06/fruit-or-vegetable/
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bot00/bot00283.htm
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-27-992,00.html

Answer 2

see below, this is what I have found, as I don't truly know...

It depends on who you ask, a botantist or horticulturist. For all practical purposes I say its a fruit. It's legal and technical mumbo-jumbo that claims it to be a vegetable.
Botanically speaking, the tomato is a fruit and is classified as a berry. It is a fruit because it is a ripened mature ovary containing seed. One can confirm this by looking up both "fruit" and "tomato" in a dictionary. (No not the definition of old slang that says a "tomato" is an attractive woman). Things like peppers, eggplants and cucumbers are also fruits by this definition.

Horticulturally speaking it is defined as a vegetable for two other reasons:
1- it is a nonwoody annual (ok, what I want to know then why dont they say watermelons are vegetables?)
2- it was classified this way in 1893 by the Supreme Court for trade reasons (imposing import taxes to protect growers)

One can find out more and verify this info from the following site:


TAMU: Tomato FAQ [look at #27]

Answer 3

Fruit

Answer 4

Fruit

Answer 5

Tomato is a fruit which is better known as vegetable to most people, since they are typically eaten with a main entree or in a salad (and not as a dessert).
Botanically speaking, these "vegetables" are technically botanical fruits because they are seed-bearing structures that develop from the ripened ovaries of flowers.

FYI: In 1893 the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the tomato was a vegetable. The Court's official interpretation was based on the popular dictionary definition which classifies a vegetable as something eaten at dinner with your main entree, but not as a dessert. The case is known as Nix v. Hedden, 149 U.S. 304 (May 10, 1893).

Answer 6

Fruit

Answer 7

It's food. Ok,ok it's a fruit because it has those yellow seeds in it and a fruit is anything that has seeds. An avocado for example is a fruit too! A tomato certainly don't taste like a fruit
but it is one. I know thta because I got good grades in science.

P.S. Please give me 10 points because it took me a while to write this and I'm new here. So be nice plz! Bye! ;)

Answer 8

"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"

Put this text in Google and you will get the source.

Answer 9

Fruit.

Answer 10

By scientific definition a tomato is a fruit (a berry actually). Scientifically, a "fruit" is that part of a plant that contains the seeds.

From a dietary point of view, they are classified as "vegetables".