When it comes to tomatoes, we usually think of vegetables, as they are a non-sweet fruit that is mainly used in the kitchen. As a snack between meals, it is not as sought after as, for example, an apple or a handful of blueberries, and it is therefore often assumed that they belong in this group along with other plant species. But is that really true?
tomatoes
What is a tomato?
Tomatoes are the fruit of the plant Solanum lycopersicum, which belongs to the order Solanaceae and has only been cultivated in Europe since the 16th century. It was brought to Europe from the New World, more precisely from the area from northern Chile to Venezuela and Mexico, and has defined culinary delights since that time, especially in countries like Italy. Their nutritious properties make them a good source of biotin, beta-carotene, folic acid and other numerous vitamins, so they should not be missing from any diet. They are characterized by the following properties of the fruit.
- Independence fruit, more precisely a berry
- slight spherical shape
- Seeds are stored in two separate chambers
- pericarp edible
- Size between 2.5 to 10 centimeters
It is noticeable here that due to their growth form, tomatoes are counted among the berries, but are not berries. This puts them in the same group as a variety of plants, including the following.
- bananas
- citrus fruits
- melons
- kiwis
- aubergine
Soft fruit, on the other hand, describes a larger group of real and berry-like plants that are characterized by extremely small fruiting bodies and their sweetness or acidity. Therefore, if tomatoes belong to the group of berries, they are botanically a fruit. However, it is difficult to say whether the tomato can be classified as a fruit or as a vegetable. Here is yet another comparison between fruits and vegetables to consider.
what is fruit
Fruit is an old collective term for all the fruits of plants that can be eaten raw and are currently classified as sweet. This classification includes, among others, those listed below.
- berries (including the tomato)
- drupes
- nuts
- pomes
- exotic fruits
In addition, the fruit must usually be water-rich and come from perennial plants that bear new fruit every year. Another important point is the development of the fruit. If this develops from the flower of the plant, the classification as a fruit is correct for the tomato. Tomatoes change from their yellow flower, which is shaped like a tube, into the well-known red fruit body and therefore a classification under this collective term is quite logical. In addition, they are perennial, at least in their American homeland, which also speaks for tomatoes as a fruit.
what are vegetables
Vegetables, on the other hand, do not only describe the fruiting body of a plant, but all parts that can be used and eaten. These are, for example, roots, leaves or the entire plant itself. In addition, the collective term "vegetables" includes plant species that grow as an annual and do not produce sweet fruits. Since tomatoes are very fresh but not sweet, integration into this group is obvious. But this classification is wrong, because tomatoes are not actually annual plants and form from the flower. Every vegetable has flowers that grow away from the used parts of the plant, which is not the case with the tomato.
Notice: The amount of sugar in a fruit does not determine whether it belongs to the fruit or vegetable group. This has evolved from common usage and has not changed until now.
fruit vegetables
What are tomatoes? The answer: fruit vegetables
In addition to the collective terms mentioned above, there is an intermediate group that very few people have heard of: fruit vegetables. Fruit vegetables are fruits that cannot be classified into one of the two groups due to the German language, their growth characteristics and their taste. They are called fruit vegetables to resolve the confusion between the two groups. In addition to the tomato, the fruit vegetables include those listed below.
- cucumbers
- eggplants
- melons
- peppers
- Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)
- legumes
- pumpkins
- zucchinis
These fruits are often classified as vegetables, but are not technically all vegetables, just as melons are not actually fruit. Therefore, in Germany, the collective term for fruit vegetables was developed to speak of fruits that are used as a vegetable or actually are one, but are considered fruit because of their sweetness. From a botanical point of view, tomatoes clearly belong to the fruit varieties, but the use of the term "fruit vegetable" is simpler, it just hasn't caught on yet.
Explanation of terms
Where is the confusion coming from?
The main reason for this is the actual use of the word fruit in the German language. This term used to describe legumes in particular, which were served as an “entree”, i.e. a form of side dish, and often represented a change from the other foods. Today's word developed from the Old High German term, which in the course of the colonization of the New World and industrialization increasingly stood for sweet or sour fruits that were tasted more as a snack or a special event. Fruits are also described in this way, although there are many fruits that are not sweet.