Is the Tomato a Fruit or Vegetable?

Filed under Fruits and Veggies, Tomatoes | Comments (7)

There's often confusion over whether the tomato is a fruit or vegetable. Even though the tomato is a fruit, it is usually treated like a vegetable by chefs.

The reason the tomato is technically a fruit is because it contains seeds. Vegetables do not contain seeds. Guess what? Because of their seeds, cucumbers and squash are fruits as well!

Here's a good explanation about the confusion from AskOxford.com:

The confusion about 'fruit' and 'vegetable' arises because of the differences in usage between scientists and cooks. Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant (though cultivated forms may be seedless) ... As far as cooking is concerned, some things which are strictly fruits may be called 'vegetables' because they are used in savoury rather than sweet cooking.