Have you ever stopped to think if a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable? We normally use it in savory dishes but the answer to this question may surprise you.
The tomato, that humble, but ubiquitous food in kitchens around the world, has long been the subject of culinary debate, or perhaps botanical? In any case, it still seems necessary to clarify this mess: is it a vegetable or a fruit?
The answer, in reality, is simple, but not always satisfactory, at least for the most picky. In any case, biology is quite clear, although it may not seem that way in the kitchen. But, let’s not respond so quickly. Let me tempt you a little more to read about this fascinating vegetable. Wow, but weren’t we talking about fruits or vegetables? What does this other adjective mean? Far from wanting to make things more complicated, we are going to resolve the doubt once and for all.
What is a tomato
The tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, is a plant belonging to the nightshade family, the same one to which eggplants and peppers belong. I think it is not necessary to characterize this fruit with its smooth skin and intense red color when it is ripe. Yes, we will say that there are varieties in other colors, be careful.
Originally from South America, the tomato has become a fundamental ingredient in many cuisines around the world. As we said, there are many varieties of tomatoes, which vary in size, shape, and color. Colors can range from classic red to yellow, orange, green, and purple, and in size from small cherry tomatoes to large beefsteak tomatoes.
Tomatoes are known for their content of vitamins such as vitamin C and vitamin K, as well as being a rich source of antioxidants, including lycopene, which has been associated with several health benefits, such as reducing the risk of heart disease. and cancer. The tomato, due to its productivity, organoleptic, and culinary value, is currently one of the most widespread crops throughout the world.
What is a fruit
If we define fruit in botanical terms, a fruit is the mature ovary of a flowering plant. This generally contains seeds and they are a fundamental part of the reproduction cycle of many plants, helping in their dispersion due to their relationship with animals: in a kind of coevolution, which is how the term is known, many animals have evolved at the same time. pair of the plant to feed on these fruits while spreading the seeds.
As we explained, the fruit develops from the flower, specifically from the ovary after pollination. The ovary tissues become the fruit itself, while the seeds develop from fertilized ovules within the ovary. There are several types of fruits, including single fruits, aggregate fruits (such as raspberries, formed by the fusion of several small fruits from a single flower), and multiple fruits (such as pineapple, formed by the fusion of fruits from multiple flowers). ).
What is a vegetable
Unlike fruit or fruit, “vegetable” is a culinary term, not a botanical one. This refers to the edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans as part of their diet and, therefore, does not make any type of technical reference: unlike the botanical definition of a fruit, that of a vegetable does not have a precise botanical definition and covers a wide range of plants and their parts.
In addition to being a non-technical term, the other most important characteristic of vegetables, probably, is that they can include various plant parts, such as leaves (lettuce, spinach), roots (carrot, beet), tubers (potato), bulbs ( onion, garlic), stems (celery, asparagus) and inflorescences (broccoli, cauliflower), to give some examples.
There is also an important aspect that distinguishes fruits from vegetables: the latter usually have a less savory or less sweet flavor than fruits and are mainly used in savory dishes. This flavor distinction is one of the key differences between fruits and vegetables in cooking, not in biology, where it makes no sense. However, this is where the crux of the matter is.
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?
The most rigorous answer is that the tomato is a fruit and also a vegetable, since both definitions, as we have seen, are not exclusive. In fact, the tomato is a simple fruit, and that is why its tissues come from the maturation of the flower’s ovary. But it is also a vegetable because, in cooking, it has a more salty or savory flavor profile, not as sweet as what are considered fruits usually are.
Why tomatoes are considered vegetables
Following the line of argument from the above, it must be made clear that there is no biological or botanical reason to consider a tomato as a vegetable. The only one, as we said, is because of its organoleptic profile. Although tomatoes can be quite sweet, the truth is that they usually do not reach a sufficient level to be attractive as a “dessert”, to give a simple example.
Furthermore, their high acidity and slight astringency automatically separate them from our considerations as fruits in the culinary sense. Which, by the way, are not the only ones who suffer from this: peppers, eggplant or zucchini are other good examples. Their profile automatically pigeonholes them into the world of vegetables and salads, although botanically they are fruits no matter how you look at it.
If we talk about “official” attempts to define whether it is a vegetable or a fruit, by administrative bodies, the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) recognizes that the classification can vary depending on whether you speak to a botanist, who It is guided by botanical criteria, or with a nutritionist or chef, who are more inclined to culinary definitions. However, and as a curiosity, the tomato was officially reclassified as a fruit in 1887 in the United States. This is due to a strong interest in research derived from legislation that raised taxes on imported vegetables, but not fruit. Although the US government initially rejected this classification, the Supreme Court later confirmed that the tomato is a fruit, although it is not of great value at the definitional level beyond administrative issues.
How to tell if a food is a fruit or a vegetable
In reality, as we have seen, the classification is quite subjective. If we are rigorous, we will know that any fruit that comes from the maturation of the flower after being pollinated is, without a doubt, a fruit (pardon the redundancy). This does not mean that it cannot also be a vegetable if its culinary profile makes it seem that way. Both classifications, on the other hand, are not exclusive, of course.
Of course, we cannot put plant parts such as stems, leaves or roots inside the fruits (tubers, of course, are not fruits), which can help simplify their classification. Although, without a doubt, there will always be an eternal debate, even though science is clear about what is a fruit and what is not. And if not, tell the avocado.