What’s the Difference Between a Fruit and a Vegetable?
Did you know that Pumpkin is actually a fruit? In this article, we will explain why this is the case and what makes specific items a fruit or vegetable. To understand how fruit and vegetables are classified we need to cover some basic plant anatomy. Nearly all plants consist of a root, a stem, and some leaves and flowers. Fruits and vegetables are classified on what part of the plant that it comes from.
All fruits begin their life as a flower and typically will always contain seeds. Vegetables are any other edible part of the plant including the stems, leaves or root system.
By this definition, seedy outgrowths such as apples, squash and tomatoes are all fruits, while roots such as beets, potatoes and turnips, leaves such as spinach, kale and lettuce, and stems such as celery and rhubarb are all vegetables.
In culinary terms, fruits and vegetables are often referred to differently going by the taste of each item. A lot of foods that are (botanically speaking) fruits, but which are savoury rather than sweet, are typically considered vegetables by chefs. This includes such botanical fruits as eggplants, bell peppers and tomatoes.
So next time you are in an argument with someone about what is a fruit and what is a vegetable, what it comes down to isn’t the taste, but basically whether or not it has seeds. “Anything that grows on a plant and is the means by which that plant gets its seeds out into the world is a fruit,”