Is Tomato Fruit or Vegetable? Explained.

The entire world has been puzzled by a question for a long time. What exactly is a tomato? Is it a fruit or a vegetable?

Well, it's not an easy question to answer. There are two main schools of thought on this issue. One says that tomatoes are fruits because they are edible and have seeds inside. Another school argues that tomatoes are vegetables because they don't have seeds inside. 

Tomatoes are one of the most widely consumed foods in the world and are also the easiest to grow. The tomato was once classified as a herbaceous plant and was called nightshade because of its similarity in appearance to the deadly nightshade plant (Atropa belladonna), which grows throughout Europe, North America and Asia. Other members of the nightshade family include potatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos. The botanical name for tomatoes is Lycopersicon esculentum. 

To find out whether to classify tomatoes as a fruit or a vegetable, we need to know the differences between fruits and vegetables first.

So, What Is The Difference Between Fruits And vegetables?

Fruits and vegetables are two types of food that come from plants. They contain nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants, and water. Both fruits and vegetables are important parts of a balanced diet.

The term "fruit" is generally applied to a large, sweet, edible drupe that develops from a seed. Fruits can be eaten raw. They can also be used in cooking.

Vegetables are distinguished from fruits by the fact that they do not grow on trees (fruits) or out of seeds (flowers). Vegetables are classified into two main groups: herbaceous plants and other non-woody plants known as green plants.

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What Is Tomato- Fruit or Vegetable?

As it turns out, it is both.

Yes, you read it right. Tomato is both a fruit and a vegetable.

Scientifically, tomatoes are fruits. However, there are certain reasons that classify them as vegetables as well.

Tomatoes are technically classified as fruit because they contain seeds and are grown from flowers. 

On the other hand, they are considered vegetables because they are cooked like a vegetable and are closely related to other members of the nightshade family, eggplants and peppers.

Why Is Tomato A Fruit?

According to the definition of fruits, they are the sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant that contains seeds and can be eaten as food. Also, fruits come from flowers. Tomatoes, as it happens, come from flowers, are fleshy, though not typically sweet like other fruits, and also contain seeds. 

So, according to the definition of fruits, tomatoes fulfil almost every criterion. That is why they are classified as fruits.

Why Is Tomato A Vegetable?

Vegetables are defined as a plant or a part of a plant, such as roots, stems, leaves, etc., that can be cooked and used as food. In 1983, the US Supreme Court decided that the tomato will be categorized as a vegetable based on the way that it is cooked and used to prepare dishes rather than its scientific classification as a fruit. 

So, legally and culinarily, tomatoes are also vegetables. 

Image Credit: Lybrate

In the end, it makes little difference whether you think of a tomato as a fruit or a vegetable. You can classify them as either or both. Either way, tomatoes are highly nutritious and good for health.