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Fruit or Vegetable?

Pumpkin, fruit or vegetable? Tomato, fruit or vegetable? Difference between fruit and vegetable revealed

© Sally Odum

Nov 29, 2006
Fresh Fruit Vegetable, public domain -USDA
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?)


The copyright of the article Fruit or Vegetable? in Vegetable Gardens is owned by Sally Odum. Permission to republish Fruit or Vegetable? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.




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Comments
May 6, 2008 4:03 PM
Guest :
I do not understand what I read. In layman's terms, please. Is pumpkin a fruit or is it a vegetable?
I am trying to figure out how to use it in my diet plan.
May 8, 2008 11:26 AM
Guest :
MAY 08, 2008

THANKS A LOT FOR YOUR INFORMATION ON WATERMELON! FRUIT OR VEGETABLE'

SEND ME MORE MATERIALS ON VEGETABLES AND FRUITS...

CONTACT ME AT : emmabreese1950@yahoo.com.
May 12, 2008 5:29 PM
Guest :
yeah!!!! i knew it. my mom said that anythiong with seeds is a veggie. she said the opposite and so did my bro. i have proof now.
May 16, 2008 6:07 AM
Guest :
this dispelled an old belief that a the tomato is a veggie. A 78 year old friend of oues insisted it is vegtable. I read somewhere it was in the fruit family but couldn't remember where. He will not listen to reason and gets upset when he is wrong about somrthing I say. thanks for confirming this disputed subject!
Jun 17, 2008 10:08 PM
Sally Odum :
To all of you - You're welcome & thanks for reading!!

In answer to comment #1:

According to scientific definition - anything that has seeds is a fruit. That means that pumpkin, tomato, capsicum, cucumber and squash are botanical fruits - as far as scientific terms are concerned.

However, it is also grammatically correct to refer to them as vegetables when you eat them as such. That is because the word "vegetable" is a very loose culinary term. It's not a scientific term. All parts of herbaceous plants eaten as food by humans, whole or in part, are generally considered vegetables.

As far as dieting and cuisine are concerned, the term "fruit" almost always refers to just those plant fruits that are sweet and fleshy, such as apple, orange, plum, berries and peaches.

Aug 16, 2008 8:09 AM
Guest :
is a pineapple a fruit or a vegetable or something else
Aug 16, 2008 12:00 PM
Guest :
Good job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aug 23, 2008 12:57 PM
Guest :
OH my friend and her family is soooooooooooo wrong! we had a funny arguement over wether green beans and cucumbers were fruits!! now i have my proof!!!!
But which came first the chicken or the egg is confuseing cause you need a chicken and a rooster to make the egg but the chicken and rooster came from an egg! ill have to read that!
Aug 24, 2008 6:08 PM
Guest :
My wife did not believe me, so this site showed her I was right..well at least this time I was.
Aug 25, 2008 2:34 PM
Guest :
i don't get it. can you get me. is a tomatoe a fruit or vegetable
Sep 4, 2008 6:08 PM
Guest :
OMG i cant believe those r fruits, i was just looking to see if cucumbers were fruits or veggies, and guess wat?!?!?! VEGIETALES should be FRUIT tales, cuz both r fruits!!
Sep 5, 2008 7:13 AM
Guest :
The chicken came first!! God created the animals of the earth...guess everyone forgot that part. He didnt create an egg. Create a rooster, create a hen and boom, ya get da egg.
Grannie
Sep 10, 2008 10:58 AM
Guest :
the chicken came first as it evolved from something else .
Sep 11, 2008 5:49 PM
Guest :
A pumpkin would be a fruit.
Sep 12, 2008 4:12 PM
Guest :
Would corn be considered a fruit???? According to scientific terms?
Sep 17, 2008 1:56 PM
Guest :
I am not clear is a pumpkin a fruit or vegetable. I think it is a fruit. Is it?
Sep 17, 2008 6:24 PM
Sally Odum :
A tomato is a FRUIT. A pumpkin is a FRUIT. The reason why is because they have seeds.

Sep 17, 2008 7:06 PM
Sally Odum :
In answer to the question above, “Is Corn a Fruit?” Corn is a caryopsis or what is known as a dry fruit. That’s the answer – yes, corn is a FRUIT. However, it is popularly known as a grain. It can be used in the production of corn meal, ethanol, cereal and feed stuffs, etc. But when it is eaten like a vegetable, it is also appropriately called a vegetable. Did we clear that up?

According to Marvin P. Pritts, chairman of the department of horticulture at Cornell University:
“The criteria is whether it comes from the reproductive part of a plant or the vegetative part of the plant,” Dr. Pritts said. “If it comes from the reproductive part of the plant, it’s a fruit. If it comes from the vegetative part of the plant, it’s a vegetable.”

The above quote was given in “Corn – Vegetable, Fruit or Grain?” by Nicholas Confessore published in
http://empirezone.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/corn-vegetable-fruit-or-gr ain/. That article examines a hilarious case of senators looking to make corn the official “vegetable” of New York.

On a related note about CORN and GRAIN- just for your information,
The current higher food prices around the world can be attributed for the most part to the diverting of a large portion of the grain / corn supply that usually goes for food – to make corn ethanol. There is still the same or a larger supply of corn and grain. However, the corn supply is divided now between that which is used for food and that which is used for corn ethanol. The rise in corn ethanol production is directly attributable to the intense need for alternate fuels because of ridiculously high oil prices.

There is rioting in a lot of countries NOW (September 2008) and over the past year because of higher food prices - worldwide. The cost of oil has driven transport prices higher, which in turn causes the food prices to rise but the major reason for the higher prices is due to the increase in corn ethanol production.

It is not that corn ethanol production is bad – of course, alternative fuels are drastically needed today. But the solution is obviously NOT to take from the world’s food supply in order to meet our energy needs. This is a major worldwide problem that needs attention immediately.

Also, FYI – almost ALL of the corn produced in the United States is genetically engineered (GE) corn. That means the genes have been altered from the natural state (see my articles on genetic engineering). Buy from a local organic farm or plant heirloom.
Sep 18, 2008 1:29 AM
Guest :
Potato, patata. Who cares if they are fruits or vegetables! Put them all into your mouth and eat them. Case closed. Whether they are fruits or vegetables, when they come out your rear-end, they are called 'Stools'. Now, are stools fruits or vegetables?

STYC
Sep 18, 2008 11:42 PM
Guest :
I still do not get the specific details. Please make it more understandable.
Sep 20, 2008 4:37 PM
Guest :
"is a pineapple a fruit or a vegetable or something else "

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is the common name for an edible tropical plant and also its fruit[1] It is native to the southern part of Brazil, and Paraguay.[2] This herbaceous perennial plant plant grows to (1–1.5 m) tall with 30 or more trough-shaped and pointed leaves 30–100 cm long, surrounding a thick stem. The pineapple is an example of a multiple fruit: multiple, spirally-arranged flowers along the axis each produce a fleshy fruit that becomes pressed against the fruits of adjacent flowers, forming what appears to be a single fleshy fruit. Pineapple is commonly used in desserts and other types of fruit dishes, or on its own. Pineapples are the only bromeliad fruit in widespread cultivation. It is one of the most commercially important plants which carry out CAM photosynthesis.
Sep 21, 2008 4:19 AM
Guest :
Thanks for the info. Now i knew that pumpkin (and whatever with seeds) are actually fruits.
Sep 25, 2008 2:42 PM
Guest :
Good article.
I don't agree with the last line though about what came first the chicken or the egg. From an evolutionary stand-point the egg containing a baby chicken would have come first. The mother being a "pre-chicken"
Sep 26, 2008 7:28 PM
Guest :
wow iworked produce for 13 years ,didn't know cucumbers,peppers were fruit. i knew tomatoes were fruit they are called the love apple. thanks for the info. now i have to accept that i am wrong. the better half is surely going to like that.
Sep 27, 2008 1:58 PM
Guest :
it is a fruit! no matter what people say not sayingany names (cough chough anna). THe pumpkin is a fruit, has always been a frutit, and will always be a fruit!
Sep 27, 2008 6:55 PM
Guest :
This is so fascinating. My friend had me read this over the phone. It all started with a search to find out whether or not an olive is a fruit or not and lead us to hear. Interesting...btw...an olive is also a fruit.
:-



)
Sep 29, 2008 3:09 PM
Guest :
You were confusing but all i got was a pumpkin and tomato were both
Fruit and Vegetable.But anyway thanks alot.
Oct 1, 2008 4:01 PM
Guest :
THANKS ALOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oct 1, 2008 4:04 PM
Guest :
is a lime afruitor veg. ???
Oct 4, 2008 9:20 AM
Guest :
What about coconut? I've searched through many webboard but don't find any clear answer so far.

"Botanically, a coconut is a simple dry nut known as a fibrous drupe."
WikiAnswers

I doubt it. I don't know which criteria they use. Please help.
Oct 7, 2008 4:46 PM
Guest :
THis is very informing!
Oct 7, 2008 4:47 PM
Guest :
thanks for the tip!
Oct 12, 2008 4:04 PM
Guest :
My brother is a fruit....... cake!
Oct 14, 2008 9:11 PM
Guest :
I am doing a project for school and I need to know how gardeners growa variety of vegetables if they don't have seeds?
Oct 15, 2008 7:25 AM
Guest :
i don't understand
Oct 16, 2008 1:28 PM
Guest :
pumpkin is not a fruit
Oct 16, 2008 3:12 PM
Guest :
so a pumpkin is a fruit?
Oct 17, 2008 1:50 PM
Guest :
is a pumpkin a fruit or not because i'm confused. please and thank you.
Oct 20, 2008 5:37 PM
Guest :
My son was write!!! The pumpkin is a fruit-not a vegetable!!! He is lovin it that he is correct!!!
Oct 29, 2008 8:52 AM
Guest :
Great article and fun to read all the comments.

For all the people asking: you can call a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable. BOTH are correct!!

(Reminds me of the current TV commercial series about people wanting "BOTH" of something)

Thank you for clearing this up!
Oct 29, 2008 11:06 AM
Guest :
Still stuck on the pineapple discussion...
If a pineapple is a fruit, where are the seeds located?
Nov 2, 2008 4:33 PM
Guest :
I thought a pumpkin was a vegetable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!
Nov 3, 2008 1:12 PM
Guest :
i never now a pumpkin was fruit
Nov 4, 2008 10:22 AM
Guest :
Pumpkins are deffanetly fruits, i knew it. (:





And we all know that the chicken obviously came before the egg, you can't have an egg without a chicken.
Nov 4, 2008 1:32 PM
Guest :
Thanks so much, this was very well written. Everyone argues that tomatoes are vegatables, and I ask why? and they say, "Because it has seeds!" yeah, that doesn't help me! So I thought about it for a little while, and I figured it out. After all my 17 yrs of life, It came too me once I used my brain. Fruits, are grown from a vine or tree and A Vegatable, is grown straight from the ground without seeds. You get the picture, right? That was a little confusing,and its more detailed above. But thank-you for really telling me, and p.s Guest, Pumkins are fruits.
Nov 4, 2008 1:33 PM
Guest :
Thanks so much, this was very well written. Everyone argues that tomatoes are vegatables, and I ask why? and they say, "Because it has seeds!" yeah, that doesn't help me! So I thought about it for a little while, and I figured it out. After all my 17 yrs of life, It came too me once I used my brain. Fruits, are grown from a vine or tree and A Vegatable, is grown straight from the ground without seeds. You get the picture, right? That was a little confusing,and its more detailed above. But thank-you for really telling me, and p.s Guest, Pumkins are fruits.
Jun 4, 2009 12:41 PM
Guest :
So could you name some vegetables? I'm kinds confused now. On the post vegetables comes right from the ground?? and fruit from vines or trees?
47 Comments