Tomato a fruit? whats a cucumber?!


Question: Tomato a fruit!? whats a cucumber!?
ok, so someone told me that a tomato was classified as a fruit!. because it has seeds in side the fruit itself!. im not disagreeing with this!. but if thats the case, then whats a cucumber!? if im not mistaken, doesn't it also have seeds on the inside!?Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
Here is the deal with this whole fruit/vegetable classification thing!. A lot of people get it confused!.

Botanically speaking a tomato and cucumber are fruit!. This is because they grow from the flowering ovary of the plant and they have seeds!. Culinarialy speaking, tomatoes and cucumbers are vegetables!. This is because they are not sweet!.

Botanists use a scientific definition for fruit!. Some "fruit" that botanists classify are not even edible!. Botanists, on the other hand, don't use the term vegetable!. "Vegetable" does not have a scientific meaning!. This means that carrots, celery, beets, potatoes, onions, etc!. are not classified as vegetables by botanists!. Nothing is a "vegetable" to a botanist because they don't use the word "vegetable"!.

So, when you ask if something is a fruit or a vegetable, you are using two sets of criteria!. One criteria is scientific and one is generic!.

You can't use both because it doesn't make any sense!. When comparing fruits with vegetables the generic (or culinary) term for fruit should be used!. This is because the generic term "vegetable" is being used!.

Fruits are sweet and vegetables are savory!. Tomatoes and cucumbers are savory, so therefore they are vegetables!. Oranges and strawberries are sweet, so therefore they are fruits!.

Another good example is mushrooms!. Botanically, they are a fungus!. A chef considers a mushroom a vegetable!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

The definition of a vegetable is "a plant cultivated for an edible part"!. The definition of a fruit is "the ripened ovary of a seed-bearing plant, together with accessory parts containing the seeds"!.

So, in that sense, all fruits are vegetables!. But, not all vegetables are fruits!.

To answer your question, though, since a cucumber is the seed-bearing part of the cucumber plant, it's a fruit!. But, that's not to say that a seedless fruit, like a watermelon or an orange, are not fruits!. Because, it is the part of the plant that bears the seeds in the seeded varieties!.

Examples of a vegetables that are not fruits are leafy vegetables (lettuce and spinach) and tubers (radishes and beets)!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Might be fruit as well!. First, cucumber has a bland neutral taste!. You can eat it as is!. Not too many people cook it though, it is used in salad a lot!. Either that or pickled it!. We usually it like a fruit w/out anything!. My kids love it, and use it a lot in salad!. Www@FoodAQ@Com

Tomato is a fruit, because the tomato has seeds, and a cucumber is a vegetable(maybe a fruit), that turns into a pickle!. Cucumbers are mostly used in saladsWww@FoodAQ@Com

Officially it is classified as a fruit, but perceived as a vegetable!.

http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/CucumberWww@FoodAQ@Com

Well, I dunno, but I hate cucumbers, yuck!. And tomatoesWww@FoodAQ@Com

Fruit!. It's a squash, like zucchini and pumpkin!. All fruits!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

cucumber's a vegetable because it hasn't got proper seeds in it!Www@FoodAQ@Com

They are perceived as a vegetable but are in fact a fruit!. Hope that helped :)Www@FoodAQ@Com

im pretty sure its a vegetableWww@FoodAQ@Com

both are fruitsWww@FoodAQ@Com





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