tomato

foxyforce

vegetable...or fruit?

i also want people to weigh in on this that think fruit should only be eaten as a desert

JoyousMaximus

It will still count for the challenge if you want it to.:laugh:

neenaleigh

It's technically both, but to me if its not sweet, its not a fruit!

foxyforce

It will still count for the challenge if you want it to.:laugh:

i'm not sweatin it! i just wanna see what people think about this, some don't like fruits cause of their sugars, but tomatos don't have a lot of sugar!

JoyousMaximus

It will still count for the challenge if you want it to.:laugh:

i'm not sweatin it! i just wanna see what people think about this, some don't like fruits cause of their sugars, but tomatos don't have a lot of sugar!

I was just teasing you

Tomatoes may not have have a lot of sugar but they do have a lot of delicious.:laugh:

MTGirl

I've been told in the past that if it has seeds on it or in it, it is technically a fruit. I still call tomato and cucumber veggies though!

stuartme123

I heard that the Supreme Court actually ruled on this one (because of inter-state trade) and they ruled that it was a vegetable.

MTGirl

O.K. - I googled. I found this! Interesting and entertaining.

Fruit or Vegetable?
Pumpkin, fruit or vegetable? Tomato, fruit or vegetable? Difference between fruit and vegetable revealed
© Sally Odum

Nov 29, 2006
Is a pumpkin fruit or vegetable? Tomato fruit or vegetable? Do you know? Find this amazing nutrition fact herein: the difference between fruit and vegetable.

Is it a fruit or vegetable? Pumpkin, fruit or vegetable? Tomato, fruit or vegetable? To determine the difference between fruit and vegetable (which has troubled minds since there were such terms as vegetable and fruit,) let’s examine what makes a fruit a fruit and what makes a vegetable a vegetable.

Here is the definition of fruit:
“The term fruit has different meanings depending on context. In botany, a fruit is the ripened ovary—together with seeds—of a flowering plant. In many species, the fruit incorporates the ripened ovary and surrounding tissues. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants disseminate seeds. In cuisine, when discussing fruit as food, the term usually refers to just those plant fruits that are sweet and fleshy, examples of which include plum, apple and orange. However, a great many common vegetables, as well as nuts and grains, are the fruit of the plant species they come from. No one terminology really fits the enormous variety that is found among plant fruits. Botanical terminology for fruits is inexact and will remain so.” (Wikipedia.org)

Are we clear now? Or are you just more confused? Don’t feel bad; many others are confused too. Here is what Science Bob has to say about this question: Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?

Answer: “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.”

By these definitions, a pumpkin is a fruit, botanically speaking. So are squash and zucchini.

Modern society commonly refers to all these fruits as vegetables:
•Pumpkin
•Squash
•Tomato
•Cucumbers
•Green beans
•Capsicum peppers
•Bell peppers
The definition of vegetable:
“Vegetable is a culinary term. Its definition has no scientific value and is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. All parts of herbaceous plants eaten as food by humans, whole or in part, are generally considered vegetables. Mushrooms, though belonging to the biological kingdom, fungi, are also commonly considered vegetables…Since ‘vegetable’ is not a botanical term, there is no contradiction in referring to a plant part as a fruit while also being considered a vegetable. Given this general rule of thumb, vegetables can include leaves (lettuce), stems (asparagus), roots (carrots), flowers (broccoli), bulbs (garlic), seeds (peas and beans) and of course the botanical fruits like cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and capsicums.” (Wikipedia.org)

This is the correct answer for all your food trivia pursuits:
If you are speaking in a botanical, scientific context, then pumpkin, tomato, capsicum, cucumber, tomato and squash are FRUITS because they all have seeds. If you are speaking in culinary terms, they can all be properly called VEGETABLES.

Case solved, right? Not quite. The United States Supreme Court entered into this fascinating debate and gave a legal verdict on whether a tomato should be classified as a vegetable or a fruit. They decided unanimously, in Nix versus Hedden, 1883, that a tomato is a vegetable, even though it is a botanical fruit.

So, there you have the difference between fruit and vegetable and an amazing nutrition fact. A tomato is a fruit AND a vegetable. A pumpkin is a fruit AND a vegetable. The age-old question of "Is it a fruit or vegetable?" has been resolved. Next, we will tackle "Which came first - the chicken or the egg?" (You do know it was the chicken first, right?)

Read more: http://vegetablegardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/fruit_or_vegetable_#ixzz0O0X2SWQy

foxyforce

I've been told in the past that if it has seeds on it or in it, it is technically a fruit. I still call tomato and cucumber veggies though!

what about peppers?

July24Lioness

Modern society commonly refers to all these fruits as vegetables:
•Pumpkin
•Squash
•Tomato
•Cucumbers
•Green beans
•Capsicum peppers
•Bell peppers


I eat all of these, eat them in smaller, measured out quantities.

Tomatos do have quite a bit of natural sugar too. So do onions, but they are a root veggie.

mommared53

I like tomatoes. Especially right out of the garden. YUM! :bigsmile:

RecliningFigure

They're all 'fruits of the earth' to me. I've always considered Tomatoes fruit, but treat them as vegetables. Although I do know a tomato-tart dessert with a custard filling that is yum, yum, yum.

Wecandothis

And how about an avacado?

July24Lioness

And how about an avacado?

It is a fatty fruit. :laugh: :laugh: