Botanical Definition of Fruit and Vegetable
Fruits and vegetables make up a large portion of our diets. We have botanically defined the difference between the two food types, but these scientific definitions do not necessarily agree with our culinary or even legal ones.
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Fruit Defined
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Botanically speaking, a fruit is the portion of the plant that contains seeds. Fruits develop from the ovary of the flower after pollination and subsequent fertilization and form a protective covering over the seeds.
Vegetables Defined
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As far as vegetables are concerned: In the botanical sense, any edible plant part that is not a fruit is considered a vegetable. Examples would be stalks, leaves and roots.
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Culinary Definitions
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People tend to classify an item as a fruit or vegetable depending on whether it is served in a savory dish (a vegetable), or as a sweet dish or dessert (a fruit). The classifications do not always match the botanically correct ones. Cucumbers are considered vegetables, but they are really fruits.
The Tomato
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The tomato, which by botanical definition is a fruit, was legally declared a vegetable by the United States Supreme Court on May 10, 1893. This was done to avoid an import tax that was imposed on fruits but not vegetables.
Nuts
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Depending on what type of nut, you either have a seed or a fruit. Nuts that are fruits include almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, chestnuts and peanuts.
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Lo
