A botanist would tell you that any seed-bearing structure formed from a flower plant’s ovary is a fruit. Andrew F. Smith, tomato historian and author of The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture and Cookery, believes the court case makes a great story because it pits botany against the law. Farmers, chefs, and nutritionists might all have different answers to … So a tomato importer named John Nix sued, arguing that he was importing fruit. By Siamaksabet - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, File:Physalis alkekengi (siamak sabet) (8).jpg They grow in husks and are sweet and/or sour when ripe. Is that part of the plant? Fruit, fruit, fruit. The Court said in the context of the law taxing tomato as a FOOD, the tomato is a vegetable because that is how people use it as a food and they rejected the botanical definition. But it's strange. To try and make some sense of this conundrum, let's look at what makes a fruit a fruit. It feels like a vegetable. Also fruit. It's no life-altering revelation, to be sure. Potatoes and carrots: Roots. Botanically, the edible tomato is a fruit. (Technically even a zucchini is a fruit!) In reality, tomatoes are both fruits and vegetables at the same time. Peppers? Is tomato a fruit or a vegetable? First, it is true that scientifically speaking, tomatoes are fruits. Vegetables, on the other hand, consist of different plant parts, such as stems, leaves or roots. What about zucchini? Politically and for culinary purposes, a tomato is a vegetable. But then the mind becomes uneasy. The explanation lies in the two different ways that "fruit" is defined. Celery: Stalks. v. Hedden had to step in to determine whether tomatoes should be taxed as vegetables or cucumbers. Can you honestly say the same about apples or bananas? It tastes like a vegetable. It seems like a vegetable. https://t.co/oH9rIcJMWs — Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) November 13, 2017 But with its … They are in the middle between fruits and vegetables. Just enter your email address below to join, Our site uses cookies and other technologies so that we, and our partners, can remember you and understand how you use our site. Surely not. Scientifically, a fruit is defined as a seed-bearing structure that forms from the flower of a plant. It's "the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant," says Merriam-Webster. Will this dispute never end? Hardly anyone puts tomatoes in fruit salad. Tomatoes, plums, zucchinis, and melons are all edible fruits, but things like maple “helicopters” and floating dandelion puffs are fruits too. The seed element is the reason why tomatoes are technically considered a fruit. The tomato got a lot of great visibility.” The discussion of whether a tomato was a fruit or vegetable resurfaced in 1937 as the League of Nations classified produce to apply tariffs. Is it possible that all fruits are also vegetables? Her recipes range from Grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends. But it certainly seems that the distinction between fruits and vegetables is not as clear-cut as we might like it to be. A tomato isn't sweet like an apple, but the definition doesn't require it to be in order to qualify as a fruit. A vegetable, meanwhile, is a usually herbaceous plant (such as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part that is usually eaten as part of a meal. Lettuce: Leaves. All tomatoes are botanically fruit, but are used as vegetables for food purposes. Still... Peggy Trowbridge Filippone is a writer who develops approachable recipes for home cooks. Does that mean cucumbers are also fruit? Whether you knew this already or not, the fact that tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables, is a source of puzzlement. fcafotodigital / Getty Images. Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? The proceedings were brief. Broccoli: Flowering buds and stems (but not seed-bearing fruit). If it contains seeds, it's a fruit. Peas? A vegetable, meanwhile, is a usually herbaceous plant (such as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part that is usually eaten as part of a … Much of the confusion about whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable comes from the common culinary applications for tomatoes. Scientists agree: a botanical ovary – a sac that contains egg cells (seeds) – is classified as a fruit. And clearly, tomatoes have seeds, so they're fruit. No way around it – the tomato is a sac and those are seeds bursting out of the crack its skin. Squash? Whether you knew this already or not, the fact that tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables, is a source of puzzlement. The confusion about 'fruit' and 'vegetable' arises because of the differences in usage between scientists and cooks. The tomato got a lot of great visibility.” This means that tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, … No indeed. As a base for chilis and stews, soups and sauces, it requires no explanation. SO, if people ever start eating tomatoes more like we eat apples, let’s challenge this law and get the tomato recognized under the law for what it is – a fruit! Researchers at Harvard have concluded that lycopene, a compound that gives tomatoes their bold red color, may help reduce the risk of some cancers. Nevertheless, that's exactly what happened in 1893, when the court ruled, in Nix v. Hedden, that tomatoes were indeed subject to an import tariff on vegetables, rejecting the plaintiff's contention that since tomatoes were, botanically speaking, a fruit, they were immune from the tariff. For more information visit our, Standard International Trade Classification. Counsel for the plaintiff read into evidence dictionary definitions of the word “tomato” along with those of other fruits and vegetables, including “pea,” “eggplant,” “cucumber,” “cauliflower,” “carrot,” and “bean.” (The Merriam-Webster definition for “fruit” reads, “the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant; especially : one having a sweet pulp associated with the seed,” and, “a succulent plant part… used chiefly in a dessert or sweet course.”, Based on the evidence presented, the Supreme Court justices found for the defendant, ruling that tomatoes were classified as vegetables. Get daily tips and expert advice to help you take your cooking skills to the next level. This is getting out of hand. Blueberries, raspberries, and oranges are true fruits, and so are many kinds of nut. Asparagus: Stems. Again, the tomato was relegated to the vegetable column, appearing under … Vegetables encompass all other edible parts of a plant that aren't fruit… Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Picks for November, What Is in Season: April Fruits and Vegetables, A Simple Guide to Tomato Varieties by Color. In layman’s terms, a fruit contains seeds on the inside and a vegetable doesn’t. What would be really helpful right now is a definition of what a vegetable is. Because obviously tomatoes are vegetables. A fruit is any part of a plant by which that plant's seeds get out into the world. Botanically a tomato is a fruit. This argument made its way to the Supreme Court, which ultimately decided in 1893 that a tomato was, yes, a vegetable—and Nix had to pay his taxes. Cooking is as much an art as it is a science, which tends to give way to more flexibility for how different foods are categorized. Yes, they are. At least you’re not alone — the tomato is the official “vegetable” of New Jersey and the official “fruit ” of Arkansas. In common usage, the tomato is a vegetable in that it is usually consumed during the main meal. Technically, a Tomato Is a Fruit In this standard definition, apples, strawberries, grapes and bananas are all fruits, while green beans, tomatoes, squash and potatoes are all vegetables. In the grocery store, we generally understand a fruit to be a natural plant product that is sweet, and a vegetable to be a natural plant product that is not sweet. The United Nations Standard International Trade Classification continues including tomatoes in the vegetable category to the present day. Specifically, tomatoes are botanically classified as berries since they are simple fruits having seeds and pulp produced from a single ovary. 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.”. Nix was forced to continue paying import tariffs on tomatoes. Hardly anyone just eats a whole tomato by itself. Tomatoes are botanically fruits because they form from a flower and contain seeds. So if you ask a botanist whether the tomato is a fruit or vegetable, they would say the tomato is a fruit. Tomatoes meet both criteria—but so do plenty of other so-called vegetables, including corn, pumpkins and winter squash, zucchini, peppers and eggplant, to name a few. Back in 1887, the U.S. decided to impose tariffs on imported vegetables—but not on imported fruits. 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). With this definition, a tomato is a fruit. Whether the tomato a fruit or a vegetable, on average, an American eats a hearty 86 pounds of ’em each year — both processed (such as in ketchup/catsup, spaghetti sauce and tomato juice) and fresh. It also made a bold public statement about tomatoes. And yet, as you probably know, (or have perhaps just discovered) tomatoes are technically fruits. The tomato perfectly fits the scientific definition of a fruit. Common garden "vegetables" that actually count as fruit include cucumbers, squash, peppers, and yes, tomatoes. Thi… The Manhattan wholesaler and his sons, John W. Nix, George W. Nix, and Frank W. Nix, were frustrated that imported vegetables were subject to a 10 percent tariff upon entering the United States, but no such tariffs were applied to fruits. Along with the fruit from a plant or tree, we can often eat the leaves (lettuce,) stems (celery,) roots (carrots,) and flowers (broccoli.) The tomato plant is a seed plant—it bears seeds—and the tomato that grows from it is an edible reproductive body; the seeds within the tomato are the means by which the tomato plant reproduces. The tomato. Botanically, the tomato is a fruit . Ultimately what we find is that, botany aside, our understanding of what constitutes a fruit and what constitutes a vegetable, both in the kitchen and in the courtroom, comes down to how that item is most commonly used. Pureed and simmered with onions, garlic and herbs, and ladled over your favorite pasta, it makes perfect sense. Therefore, the tomato is both a fruit and a vegetable. How can we tell if something is a fruit or a vegetable? John Nix was so committed to having the tomato classified as a fruit he filed a lawsuit. “It was a significant case at the time, important enough to go to the Supreme Court, and every newspaper in the country covered it. According to Justice Horace Gray, who authored the opinion: You'd think this would've settled the question once and for all. In other words, fruit is the part of the plant with seeds in it. Botanically speaking, vegetables are any edible part of a plant that doesn’t happen to be a fruit. There are two major ways to define fruits and vegetables, scientific and culinary methods of identification. Basically, from the perspective of science and biology, a tomato is a plant that is in the family of fruits.The confusion about this stems from the difference in the way science labels fruits and vegetables and the way cooks do when making meals. Fruit. Avocados, bananas, pumpkins, watermelons and persimmons join tomato in the berry category. Any seed-bearing structure formed in a flowering plant’s ovary is a fruit. Legally, the tomato is a vegetable Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. And yet, in what may or may not be a simple case of good-natured trolling, Ohio and Tennessee both currently designate the tomato as their state fruits, whereas in New Jersey it's the state vegetable. Therefore, snap beans, carrots, and spinach are vegetables, while apples are fruit. It's no life-altering revelation, to be sure. But what about the fruit? But let's accept that a vegetable is any edible part of a plant, including the stems, leaves and roots, but not the part with seeds in it. For the 5-a-day recommendations, tomatoes are classified as a vegetable, which is the culinary definition, because that is how most people learn about fruit and vegetables. The goal of the legislation was to convince farmers to grow tomatoes instead of importing them,” he explains. One adult portion of a tomato is a medium sized tomato or 7 cherry tomatoes, remember to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables so you can reach your daily 5-a-day. Justice Horace Gray, one of the justices presiding over the case, delivered the opinion of the court that read, in part, “Botanically speaking, tomatoes are the fruit of a vine, just as are cucumbers, squashes, beans, and peas. Again, the tomato was relegated to the vegetable column, appearing under vegetables/edible plants/roots and tubers. Yes, a tomato is a fruit. So, to conclude, a tomato is both a fruit as well as a vegetable. By this definition, tomatoes are most certainly fruits. The tomato plant, however, is a fruit-bearing plant which propagates through the germination of fertilized seeds which develop from a fertilized ovary. And a banana is a berry. Ground cherries are a different species related to tomatoes (it’s the same species as the tomatillo). From the scientific angle, a tomato is a fruit because it contains seeds and fulfils certain criteria that all fruits have to meet. They are both! The Supreme Court heard Nix v. Heddenin 1893. The fruit versus vegetable controversy has been going on for so long that in 1893, the United States Supreme Court case Nix. It depends on how you are referring to it. Well, botanically-speaking, a fruit is a ripened flower ovary, which contains seeds. It's probably difficult to imagine that the U.S. Supreme Court could issue a ruling in utter defiance of science and reality. Tomatoes are part of the family of the fruit vegetables. According to Merriam-Webster, a fruit is "the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant." Tomatoes are fruits that are considered vegetables by nutritionists. In very simple … And yet, as you probably know, (or have perhaps just discovered) tomatoes are technically fruits. Is an egg part of a chicken? This, of course, makes your tomato a fruit. 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