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Tomatoes are loaded with nutrients that are excellent for your health.
While “the chicken or the egg” dilemma has yet to be solved, the argument of whether a tomato should be called fruit or vegetable can certainly be put to rest.
According to the botanical criteria used to classify plants, tomatoes are fruits. However, culinary experts and many nutritionists classify them as vegetables.
Both classifications have their fair justifications to categorize tomatoes as fruits or vegetables.
Why should you call a tomato a fruit?
Tomatoes are called fruits based on their botanical characteristics.
- A fruit is defined as the part that bears the seed and grows from the ovary of the plant. Thus, the fruit acts as the product of the plant that facilitates the spread of seeds.
- Because tomatoes grow from the flower of the plant and bear seeds, they are botanically a fruit. A vegetable, however, refers to all other edible portions of the plant. Thus, it can be a leaf (spinach, lettuce), root (onions, carrots), or stem (celery, asparagus).
Why should you call a tomato a vegetable?
For those who want to call a tomato a vegetable, there are plenty of arguments in their favor. So, according to the culinary viewpoint, used by chefs, nutritionists, and many others, the classification of fruits and vegetables depends on their flavor and taste.
- A vegetable is an edible plant product, is tougher in texture than fruits, and has a bland taste with a subtle, non-overpowering flavor. This makes tomatoes a vegetable and not a fruit.
- Fruits, according to the culinary classification, are more fleshy, can be eaten raw, and tend to have a more sweet or tart taste. They can be used to make jams, desserts, and marmalades.
Vegetables are typically used to make savory dishes rather than desserts. Thus, despite ripe tomatoes being fleshy and somewhat sweet, they are generally used to make savory food items. You may have heard of or even made and tasted tomato jams, but the number of savory tomato dishes far outnumbers the sweets or desserts made with tomato.
Takeaway
An interesting and strange case was presented before the U.S. Supreme Court in the 19th century. The question was: Are tomatoes fruits or vegetables?
- This case was brought up because a fruit importer argued that because tomatoes are technically fruits, they do not need to pay the tax for tomatoes.
- There were various arguments and counter-arguments, including several definitions of fruits and vegetables being read and discussed in the court.
- Finally, the U.S. Supreme Court passed the verdict in 1893 that tomatoes must be considered vegetables in all legal contexts.
- This meant that an import tax (10 percent in those days) had to be paid for them.
- The reason was that despite them being botanically fruits, the usage and characteristics (flavor and taste) of tomatoes are mainly as a vegetable.
Tomatoes are loaded with nutrients that are excellent for your health. Including them in your diet can help keep you healthy (unless you have any particular disease that may need their restriction).
