TOMATO is A Fruit or A Vegetable ?

Once 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 ?

FORBES’ 100 Richest Tech Billionaires in the Universe

FORBES just released the list of 100 Richest Tech Billionaires from Around the Globe.

As quoted from the website (www.Forbes.com), the list was done by the following methodology :

For the list, Forbes chose to exclude telecom and media in our definition of technology. We included people active in hardware, software, social media, online gambling, and high-tech manufacturing. We used stock prices at the close of business on Friday, July 31 to value publicly-traded fortunes.

At the top of the list, Bill Gates, currently the world’s richest man and co-founded Microsoft, the world’s largest PC software company, has been ranked number one among tech tycoons, with a net worth of $79.6 billion, originally from Microsoft. In February 2014 Bill Gates stepped down as Chairman of Microsoft and taking on a new post as technology advisor. Under his leadership, Microsoft became a giant in software industry and helped make PCs commonplace.

Following, ranked number two is Larry Ellison, Oracle Chairman and Chief Technology Officer with net worth of $50 billion. In 2014, he was crowned by Forbes as the third-wealthiest man in America and as the fifth-wealthiest person in the world. He stepped down as CEO of Oracle in September 2014, but remains the company’s chairman and chief technology officer.

Crowned at the third position of the list is Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com, an online merchant of books and later of a wide variety of products. Forbes pegs Bezos’ net worth at $47.8 billion with more than 90% of which lies in his 18% stake in Amazon. Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994 after making a cross-country drive from New York to Seattle, writing up the Amazon business plan on the way. He initially set up the company in his garage. On August 5, 2013, Bezos announced his purchase of The Washington Post for $250 million in cash.

Following is the top ten chart of 2015 Richest in Tech crowned by Forbes :

1. Bill Gates – Net Worth $79.6 billion, Origin of Wealth : Microsoft
2. Larry Ellison – Net Worth $50 billion, Origin of Wealth : Oracle
3. Jeff Bezos – Net Worth $47.8 billion, Origin of Wealth : Amazon.com
4. Mark Zuckerberg – Net Worth $41.2 billion, Origin of Wealth : Facebook
5. Larry Page – Net Worth $33.4 billion, Origin of Wealth : Google
6. Sergey Brin – Net Worth $32.8 billion, Origin of Wealth : Google
7. Jack Ma – Net Worth $23.2 billion. Origin of Wealth : Alibaba
8. Steve Ballmer – Net Worth $22.7 billion, Origin of Wealth : Microsoft
9. Laurene Powell Jobs – Net Worth $21.4 billion, Origin of Wealth : Apple, Disney
10. Michael Dell – Net Worth $19.4 billion, Origin of Wealth : Dell

CLICK HERE to explore the complete list of Forbes’ 2015 Richest People in Tech.