Is a tomato a fruit?
The question of whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable has caused much debate and confusion. The answer depends on whether you look at it from a botanical or a culinary perspective, and even from a legal one. This article looks at all three.
Botanical perspective
Botanically speaking, a tomato is a fruit. Fruits are defined as the parts of a plant that develop from a flower and contain seeds. A tomato meets these criteria because it develops from a tomato flower and contains seeds that can grow into new tomato plants. Botanists classify the tomato specifically as a berry, a type of fruit. Other berries include blueberries and grapes, and other plant parts that are botanical fruits despite being treated as vegetables in the kitchen include cucumbers, peppers and pumpkins.
Culinary perspective
From a culinary point of view, the tomato is usually treated as a vegetable. It is used in cooking the same way as vegetables such as carrots, celery and onions, mainly in savory dishes like salads, pasta sauces and pizzas. Its taste is more sour than sweet, which makes it better suited to savory cooking than to fruit salads or desserts, even though botanically it belongs with the fruits.
Legal perspective
In 1893, the Supreme Court of the United States decided the case Nix v. Hedden. It ruled that the tomato counts as a vegetable for customs purposes, since it is chiefly eaten in savory dishes rather than as a dessert or a snack. This decision was purely about the tariff schedule; it did not dispute that the tomato is a fruit in the botanical sense.
Summary
In short, a tomato is botanically a fruit – specifically a berry – but in the kitchen and in law it is usually classified as a vegetable. The difference comes from using different criteria: botany looks at how the plant grows, while cooking and customs law look at how the food is used.
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