TOMATO is A Fruit or A Vegetable ?

TomatoOnce my kid asked me, “Daddy, tomato is actually a fruit or a vegetable ? When I was at school I raised this question to my science teacher but she told me to go ask my Mommy at home. Then, I went asked mommy she told me to go ask Daddy, instead. So now Daddy, I’m asking you tomato is a fruit or a vegetable?”

Have you ever wondered this ? Is tomato a FRUIT or a VEGETABLE ?

Oxford Dictionaries says that 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. As far as cooking is concerned, some things which are strictly fruits, such as tomatoes or bean pods, may be called ‘vegetables’ because they are used in savory rather than sweet cooking. So, the answer to the question is that a tomato is technically A FRUIT, but it’s used as A VEGETABLE in cooking.

A fascinating thing about the question if tomato is a fruit or a vegetable is that the Supreme Court of the United States actually had to decide what the tomato is.

In 1893, in Nix v.Hedden case, the U.S.Supreme Court states that, under U.S. customs regulations, the tomato should be classified as a vegetable rather than a fruit. The Court’s unanimous opinion held that the Tariff Act of 1883 used the ordinary meaning of the words “fruit” and “vegetable”, instead of the technical botanical meaning. The Tariff Act of March 3, 1883 required a tax to be paid on imported vegetables, but not fruit. The case was filed as an action by John Nix, John W. Nix, George W.Nix and Frank W.Nix against Edward L. Hedden, Collector of the Port of New York, to recover back duties paid under protest. Botanically, a tomato is a fruit because it is a seed-bearing structure growing from the flowering part of a plant.

Quoted from JUSTIA US Supreme Court website :

Botanically speaking, tomatoes are the fruit of a vine, just as are cucumbers, squashes, beans, and peas. But in the common language of the people, whether sellers or consumers of provisions, all these are vegetables which are grown in kitchen gardens, and which, whether eaten cooked or raw, are, like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, and lettuce, usually served at dinner in, with, or after the soup, fish, or meats which constitute the principal part of the repast, and not, like fruits generally, as dessert.

So, what do you think about it ? Is TOMATO a Fruit or a Vegetable ?

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