Tomato - fruit or vegetable? Let's figure it out

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Tomatoes in Russia began to be eaten in the XVIII century. Favorite fruits were classified as vegetables, but from the point of view of the European Union, they are fruits. So is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Let's figure it out. To do this, take information from botany and see what happened to the culture throughout history.

Some information from botany

Fruit refers to a fleshy fruit with seeds that develops from a flower. Vegetables are small herbaceous plants with soft stems and non-woody tissue. That is, from the point of view of botany, all fruits with seeds are fruits. They are divided into fleshy (melons, apples, oranges, tangerines), stone fruits (cherries, peaches, plums) and dry (cereals, nuts, beans). Well, what about the tomato? Fruit or vegetable? It turns out - a fruit, as it grows from a flower, inside its pulp - seeds.

But wait, it's not that simple. The peoples of the world have their own traditions and laws: in one place the edible part of the plant will be a fruit, in another - a vegetable. Tomatoes are even considered berries in some countries. In the course of history, something changes, and somethingremains unchanged. For example, in our country, avid gardeners do not have the question: “What is a tomato: a fruit or a vegetable?” This is due to the fact that since ancient times, tomatoes in Russia were vegetables. But the United States recognized them as fruits, however, with the proviso that during transportation they will be considered as such.

History of tomatoes

Tomato grew wild in South America - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia. Mexico was the first country where the crop was cultivated. Subsequently, it was brought to Europe. The first description of tomatoes was recorded in 1555 in Italy, where they were called "pomi d'oro", which means "green apple". Back then, yellow tomatoes were considered fruit.

In the 16th century, the culture began to be grown in Spain, France, England and other countries, but it was considered exotic. Some people generally considered the fruits to be poisonous. They began to be massively eaten only in the middle of 1700, when the myth of their toxicity was dispelled. Tomatoes quickly spread throughout the world. They began to be eaten fresh, added to soups, sauces, main dishes. Therefore, in 1893, to the question: “What is a tomato: a fruit or a vegetable?” - the answer was received: the Supreme Court recognized the tomato as a vegetable.

Result of legal debate

The problem with the status of tomatoes arose in 1887, when America introduced a tax on vegetables. According to customs laws, there was no need to pay tax on fruits. That is why legal debates arose, because in fact there are a lot of fruits with seeds (cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplants and others).

The court recognized the tomato as a vegetable, and the main argument was that it is eaten for lunch, but not served for dessert, since it is not sweet. In this case, the decision of the court is contrary to the botanical point of view. These are the ambiguous tomatoes: the photo shows that the fruit has seeds and may well be called a fruit.

Be that as it may, but in official instances, the tomato is now considered a vegetable, but not in all countries. Our people have long recognized fruits as vegetables for their unsweetened taste. Gardeners do not care how the grown fruits are classified, the important thing is that they can be added to almost any dish, they are tasty and very he althy.