Most of us recognize that tomatoes are fruits, but some of these other 'vegetables' may shock you.
Fruit or vegetable? It doesn't appear like it would be that complex – and usually, it isn't. Botanically speaking, a fruit is the structure of a plant that surrounds its seeds, while a
vegetable can be just regarding any good part of the plant, aside from its fruit and seed.
That said, back in 1893, a case was heard in the Supreme Court that would confuse things mightily. When Manhattan wholesaler, John Nix & Co., was carrying a shipped vegetable tariff on a shipment of Caribbean tomatoes, he fought the charge since tomatoes were not technically vegetables, and fruit did not carry an alike tariff. Nix lost when the court ordered that people served and ate tomatoes like vegetables rather than fruit.
“Botanically speaking, tomatoes are the
fruit of a vine, just as are peas, cucumbers, beans, and squashes,” noted Justice Horace Gray in his 1893 opinion. “But in the public language of the people, whether traders or buyers of provisions, all these are vegetables.”
And we have been confusing it all ever since
Fruit and vegetable, does it actually matter? As Shakespeare tells us, "a rose by any different name would smell as sweet" – we are a people who will cherish our tomatoes despite what we call them. But for the growers, pedants, foodies, and word nerds out there, yes it matters! And in common, too many of us are so disconnected from what we consume – it feels like the time is ripe to not only understand more about where our food appears from but what it actually is.
With that in mind, I changed to one of my beloved books in the universe, On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (2004 edition), by food scientist/author Harold McGee, for his warm take on the subject. And of course, there is a full segment on "Fruits Used As Vegetables." He has anyplace from various paragraphs to many pages written for each, but we will just cut to the chase here:
Fruits Used As Vegetables
- Avocados
- Olives
- Sweet peppers
- Okra
- Winter squashes (like butternut)
- Summer squashes (like zucchini)
- Chayote
- Sweet corn
- Eggplants
- Green beans
- Peas
- Tomatoes
- Bitter gourds
- Cucumbers
- Tomatillos
Read Here: How to Grow Healthy Organic Food