Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable?

Tomato is a practically indispensable food in most kitchens. Is very rich in vitamins and antioxidants and brings an unmistakable flavor to the dish, whether in salads, soups, stews or sauces.

many wonder if tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. Despite the fact that we usually consider it (and use it) as a vegetable, in botanical terms it is a fruit.

Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable?

The tomatoes develop from the ovary of a flower and they contain seeds, so they fit within the definition of what is botanically considered a fruit. According to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), the fruit is he “product of the development of the ovary of a flower after fertilization, in which the seeds are containedand in whose formation both the calyx and the floral receptacle and other organs frequently cooperate”.

Thus, in a botanical sense, tomatoes are fruits, as are other vegetables that are normally considered vegetables such as cucumbers, green beans, eggplants, pumpkins or avocados.

For most people, however, the difference between fruits and vegetables is based more on their culinary use than in its botanical classification. And in this sense, culinary and gastronomically, the tomato is considered a vegetable, since it is mainly used in savory dishes such as salads, soups, stews, stir-fries, or sauces.

Fruits, on the other hand, are a type of sweet and juicy food that is consumed both raw and in the preparation of desserts, juices, smoothies, jams, etc. Usually, vegetables are characterized by having a more neutral flavor than fruits.

What is considered a vegetable?

In botany the term vegetable is not usually used to classify plants. To refer to the edible parts of plants, one speaks more of leaves (for example, spinach or chard), stems (such as asparagus), roots (carrots or radishes), bulbs (such as onion or garlic) or tubers (such as potatoes). In fact, the distinction between fruits and vegetables is somewhat arbitrary and is based more on their culinary use than on their botanical classification.

Discover in this video why it is better to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables:

In the culinary and gastronomic sense, as we have mentioned before, vegetables are plant foods that are mainly used in savory dishes.

What is the difference between vegetables and vegetables?

According to the RAE a vegetable is avegetables, especially green leafy ones”. And a vegetable? The dictionary of the language clarifies that it is a “edible plant grown in gardens”. Vegetables are, therefore, a broad group of plants that are grown for their edible parts (leaves, stems, roots, tubers or seeds). Vegetables, according to this definition, are essentially the same.

In some cases the term vegetable is used to refer to the edible parts of a plant, while the term vegetable is used to refer specifically to plants that are grown in gardens for human consumption. That is, the vegetables would be a subgroup of vegetables that are grown and used for food. In other words, all vegetables are vegetables, but not all vegetables are vegetables.

In this sense, lettuce, carrot, onion or potato are vegetables. Edible wild plants, on the other hand, are vegetables, but are not considered vegetables.

According to other definitions, the vegetables are only those vegetables in which the edible parts are green (such as lettuce, broccoli or chard).