Have you ever wondered if tomato is a vegetable or a fruit? What about cucumber or corn? Know how to figure out the differences between fruits and vegetables. Many of us believe that tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are vegetables. But technically speaking, all of the, are fruits. The only difference is that they are used as vegetables. Then, what is the difference between fruits and vegetables? The debate of fruit vs. Vegetables has been going on for a long time, with botanist strongly demanding the status of fruits for tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and many more, which are usually classified as vegetables in the culinary sense. In order to understand the difference between fruits and vegetables, we must have basic understanding about them.
Fruits and Vegetables - Botanical and Culinary Definition
Do you know why oranges and watermelon are classified as fruits? Why potatoes, celery, or cabbage are sorted out as vegetables? There has to be some scientific reason behind this classification, which has been confusing people for ages. The difference between fruits and vegetables lies in their scientific definition, which is used to identify them. Let us take a look at the definition of both, which can be useful in understanding the classification.
Fruit: A fruit is deemed to be a sweet and fleshy plant product, which includes apples, oranges, plums, pineapples, etc. In the botanical sense, a fruit is defined as the ripened ovary of a flowering plant and contains seeds. In most cases, the ripened ovaries along with their surrounding tissues are called fruits, which are a means of dissemination of seeds. This is facilitated by consumption of fruits by animals and birds, as most of the fruits are sweet and contain fleshy, edible parts. As far as the culinary definition is concerned, fruits are more sweet or tart. They are mainly used as desserts, snacks or as juices.
Vegetable: There is no botanical definition