Although the initial suit was filed to allow Nix to recover back duties paid on previous shipments, it ended up changing how we think about tomatoes. And yet, as you probably know, (or have perhaps just discovered) tomatoes are technically fruits. Vegetables, on the other hand, consist of different plant parts, such as stems, leaves or roots. The explanation lies in the two different ways that "fruit" is defined. And yet, science aside, this all feels unsatisfying. By this definition, tomatoes are most certainly fruits. It feels like a vegetable. Botanically, a tomato is a fruit. According to Justice Horace Gray, who authored the opinion: You'd think this would've settled the question once and for all. True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant (though cultivated forms may be seedless). fcafotodigital / Getty Images. The proceedings were brief. But let's accept that a vegetable is any edible part of a plant, including the stems, leaves and roots, but not the part with seeds in it. Hardly anyone eats them for dessert; "tomato pie" is not a thing. And a banana is a berry. Botanically speaking, vegetables are any edible part of a plant that doesn’t happen to be a fruit. The tomato got a lot of great visibility.” By Siamaksabet - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, File:Physalis alkekengi (siamak sabet) (8).jpg They grow in husks and are sweet and/or sour when ripe. Yes, they are. But what about the fruit? Also, from a botanists point of view, the tomato on its own has no relevance. And yet, as you probably know, (or have perhaps just discovered) tomatoes are technically fruits. Sweet corn? What would be really helpful right now is a definition of what a vegetable is. Get daily tips and expert advice to help you take your cooking skills to the next level. A vegetable, meanwhile, is a usually herbaceous plant (such as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part that is usually eaten as part of a meal. All tomatoes are botanically fruit, but are used as vegetables for food purposes. Justice Horace Gray, one of the justices presiding over the case, delivered the opinion of the court that read, in part, “Botanically speaking, tomatoes are the fruit of a vine, just as are cucumbers, squashes, beans, and peas. The court, however, unanimously ruled in favor of the defendant, that the Tariff Act used the ordinary meaning of the words “fruit” and “vegetable” -where a tomato is classified as a vegetable -not the technical botanical meaning. The Supreme Court heard Nix v. Heddenin 1893. Hardly anyone puts tomatoes in fruit salad. There are two major ways to define fruits and vegetables, scientific and culinary methods of identification. A tomato isn't sweet like an apple, but the definition doesn't require it to be in order to qualify as a fruit. Botanically a tomato is a fruit. This means that tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, … It's "the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant," says Merriam-Webster. But it's strange. Yes, a tomato is a fruit. What about zucchini? But then the mind becomes uneasy. Botanically, a fruit is a ripened flower ovary and contains seeds. The confusion about 'fruit' and 'vegetable' arises because of the differences in usage between scientists and cooks. Because obviously tomatoes are vegetables. Is an egg part of a chicken? In very simple … Technically, a Tomato Is a Fruit First, it is true that scientifically speaking, tomatoes are fruits. Tomatoes are botanically fruits because they form from a flower and contain seeds. Botanically, tomatoes are a fruit. Pureed and simmered with onions, garlic and herbs, and ladled over your favorite pasta, it makes perfect sense. Nevertheless, that's exactly what happened in 1893, when the court ruled, in Nix v. Hedden, that tomatoes were indeed subject to an import tariff on vegetables, rejecting the plaintiff's contention that since tomatoes were, botanically speaking, a fruit, they were immune from the tariff. The Court said in the context of the law taxing tomato as a FOOD, the tomato is a vegetable because that is how people use it as a food and they rejected the botanical definition. In this standard definition, apples, strawberries, grapes and bananas are all fruits, while green beans, tomatoes, squash and potatoes are all vegetables. So a tomato importer named John Nix sued, arguing that he was importing fruit. Whether the tomato a fruit or a vegetable, on average, an American eats a hearty 86 pounds of ’em each year — both processed (such as in ketchup/catsup, spaghetti sauce and tomato juice) and fresh. But it certainly seems that the distinction between fruits and vegetables is not as clear-cut as we might like it to be. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Picks for November, What Is in Season: April Fruits and Vegetables, A Simple Guide to Tomato Varieties by Color. Can you honestly say the same about apples or bananas? 3 A vegetable, meanwhile, is a usually herbaceous plant (such as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part that is usually eaten as part of a … Is that part of the plant? Broccoli: Flowering buds and stems (but not seed-bearing fruit). The tomato. SO, if people ever start eating tomatoes more like we eat apples, let’s challenge this law and get the tomato recognized under the law for what it is – a fruit! How can we tell if something is a fruit or a vegetable? For the 5-a-day recommendations, tomatoes are classified as a vegetable, which is the culinary definition, because that is how most people learn about fruit and vegetables. But in the common language of the people, whether sellers or consumers of provisions, all these are vegetables which are grown in kitchen gardens, and which, whether eaten cooked or raw, are like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, and lettuce, usually served at dinner in, with, or after the soup, fish, or meats which constitute the principal part of the repast, and not, like fruits generally, as dessert.”. And clearly, tomatoes have seeds, so they're fruit. Nix was forced to continue paying import tariffs on tomatoes. It turns out that the definition of a vegetable is, any part of a plant that's edible, including the leaves, stems and roots. The age-old question actually has an answer—it's both! Ultimately what we find is that, botany aside, our understanding of what constitutes a fruit and what constitutes a vegetable, both in the kitchen and in the courtroom, comes down to how that item is most commonly used. If you think of the first three fruits that pop into your head, you'll agree that they all have seeds. Andrew F. Smith, tomato historian and author of The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture and Cookery, believes the court case makes a great story because it pits botany against the law. Squash? Lettuce: Leaves. Thi… This is getting out of hand. Basically, from the perspective of science and biology, a tomato is a plant that is in the family of fruits.The confusion about this stems from the difference in the way science labels fruits and vegetables and the way cooks do when making meals. Whether you knew this already or not, the fact that tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables, is a source of puzzlement. The tomato plant is a seed plant—it bears seeds—and the tomato that grows from it is an edible reproductive body; the seeds within the tomato are the means by which the tomato plant reproduces. Tomatoes are fruits that are considered vegetables by nutritionists. Tomatoes meet both criteria—but so do plenty of other so-called vegetables, including corn, pumpkins and winter squash, zucchini, peppers and eggplant, to name a few. Yes! Farmers, chefs, and nutritionists might all have different answers to … In layman’s terms, a fruit contains seeds on the inside and a vegetable doesn’t. This argument made its way to the Supreme Court, which ultimately decided in 1893 that a tomato was, yes, a vegetable—and Nix had to pay his taxes. Botanically, the edible tomato is a fruit. Peas? The goal of the legislation was to convince farmers to grow tomatoes instead of importing them,” he explains. It's probably difficult to imagine that the U.S. Supreme Court could issue a ruling in utter defiance of science and reality. This, of course, makes your tomato a fruit. So if you ask a botanist whether the tomato is a fruit or vegetable, they would say the tomato is a fruit. Also fruit. If it contains seeds, it's a fruit. ——————————————————————————————————– To a botanist, a fruit is an entity that develops from the fertilized ovary of a flower. Celery: Stalks. Her recipes range from Grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends. A botanist would tell you that any seed-bearing structure formed from a flower plant’s ovary is a fruit. They are in the middle between fruits and vegetables. Fruit, fruit, fruit. Potatoes and carrots: Roots. As a base for chilis and stews, soups and sauces, it requires no explanation. So, to conclude, a tomato is both a fruit as well as a vegetable. Hardly anyone just eats a whole tomato by itself. Just enter your email address below to join, Our site uses cookies and other technologies so that we, and our partners, can remember you and understand how you use our site. This also means that foods like squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, peppers, and eggplants are also fruits. Asparagus: Stems. https://t.co/oH9rIcJMWs — Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) November 13, 2017 But with its … It depends on how you are referring to it. The discussion of whether a tomato was a fruit or vegetable resurfaced in 1937 as the League of Nations classified produce to apply tariffs. So the answer whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable is not very simple. In the grocery store, we generally understand a fruit to be a natural plant product that is sweet, and a vegetable to be a natural plant product that is not sweet. Fruit. Whether you knew this already or not, the fact that tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables, is a source of puzzlement. Surely not. Peppers? Is it possible that all fruits are also vegetables? Well, botanically-speaking, a fruit is a ripened flower ovary, which contains seeds. Cooking is as much an art as it is a science, which tends to give way to more flexibility for how different foods are categorized. Along with the fruit from a plant or tree, we can often eat the leaves (lettuce,) stems (celery,) roots (carrots,) and flowers (broccoli.) Tomatoes are part of the family of the fruit vegetables. v. Hedden had to step in to determine whether tomatoes should be taxed as vegetables or cucumbers. Specifically, tomatoes are botanically classified as berries since they are simple fruits having seeds and pulp produced from a single ovary. Is tomato a fruit or a vegetable? A fruit is any part of a plant by which that plant's seeds get out into the world. In common usage, the tomato is a vegetable in that it is usually consumed during the main meal. The seed element is the reason why tomatoes are technically considered a fruit. The tomato plant, however, is a fruit-bearing plant which propagates through the germination of fertilized seeds which develop from a fertilized ovary. Common garden "vegetables" that actually count as fruit include cucumbers, squash, peppers, and yes, tomatoes. It seems like a vegetable. From the scientific angle, a tomato is a fruit because it contains seeds and fulfils certain criteria that all fruits have to meet. John Nix was so committed to having the tomato classified as a fruit he filed a lawsuit. Again, the tomato was relegated to the vegetable column, appearing under vegetables/edible plants/roots and tubers. It's no life-altering revelation, to be sure. Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Scientists agree: a botanical ovary – a sac that contains egg cells (seeds) – is classified as a fruit. Therefore, the tomato is both a fruit and a vegetable. To try and make some sense of this conundrum, let's look at what makes a fruit a fruit. Avocados, bananas, pumpkins, watermelons and persimmons join tomato in the berry category. Counsel for the plaintiff read into evidence dictionary definitions of the word “tomato” along with those of other fruits and vegetables, including “pea,” “eggplant,” “cucumber,” “cauliflower,” “carrot,” and “bean.” (The Merriam-Webster definition for “fruit” reads, “the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant; especially : one having a sweet pulp associated with the seed,” and, “a succulent plant part… used chiefly in a dessert or sweet course.”, Based on the evidence presented, the Supreme Court justices found for the defendant, ruling that tomatoes were classified as vegetables. Politically and for culinary purposes, a tomato is a vegetable. Tomatoes, plums, zucchinis, and melons are all edible fruits, but things like maple “helicopters” and floating dandelion puffs are fruits too. It also made a bold public statement about tomatoes. And yet, in what may or may not be a simple case of good-natured trolling, Ohio and Tennessee both currently designate the tomato as their state fruits, whereas in New Jersey it's the state vegetable. Therefore, snap beans, carrots, and spinach are vegetables, while apples are fruit. The juicy flesh of tomatoes protect and contain the seeds of their host plants. In contrast, a fruit is a plant part which is used chiefly in desserts. The tomato perfectly fits the scientific definition of a fruit. Blueberries, raspberries, and oranges are true fruits, and so are many kinds of nut. One adult portion of a tomato is a medium sized tomato or 7 cherry tomatoes, remember to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables so you can reach your daily 5-a-day. No indeed. Vegetables encompass all other edible parts of a plant that aren't fruit… Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. The fruit versus vegetable controversy has been going on for so long that in 1893, the United States Supreme Court case Nix. In reality, tomatoes are both fruits and vegetables at the same time. The tomato got a lot of great visibility.” The discussion of whether a tomato was a fruit or vegetable resurfaced in 1937 as the League of Nations classified produce to apply tariffs. Still... Peggy Trowbridge Filippone is a writer who develops approachable recipes for home cooks. According to Merriam-Webster, a fruit is "the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant." In other words, fruit is the part of the plant with seeds in it. Many of these other parts of the plant are typically referred to as VEGETABLES. With this definition, a tomato is a fruit. Scientifically, a fruit is defined as a seed-bearing structure that forms from the flower of a plant. They are both! The United Nations Standard International Trade Classification continues including tomatoes in the vegetable category to the present day. Legally, the tomato is a vegetable The Manhattan wholesaler and his sons, John W. Nix, George W. Nix, and Frank W. Nix, were frustrated that imported vegetables were subject to a 10 percent tariff upon entering the United States, but no such tariffs were applied to fruits. For more information visit our, Standard International Trade Classification. Does that mean cucumbers are also fruit? Again, the tomato was relegated to the vegetable column, appearing under … “It was a significant case at the time, important enough to go to the Supreme Court, and every newspaper in the country covered it. However, in common parlance it is a vegetable; hence the United States Supreme Court ruled that a tomato is a vegetable for the purposes of the customs regulations. Ground cherries are a different species related to tomatoes (it’s the same species as the tomatillo). When he was slapped with the fee on a shipment of tomatoes arriving from the Caribbean, Nix claimed the tomatoes were fruits, not vegetables, and filed a lawsuit against Edward L. Hedden, a collector of the port of New York. At least you’re not alone — the tomato is the official “vegetable” of New Jersey and the official “fruit ” of Arkansas. Botanically, the tomato is a fruit . It's no life-altering revelation, to be sure. Will this dispute never end? It also makes cucumbers, squash, green beans and pumpkins all fruits as well. Back in 1887, the U.S. decided to impose tariffs on imported vegetables—but not on imported fruits. “People wanted tomatoes. Much of the confusion about whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable comes from the common culinary applications for tomatoes. It tastes like a vegetable. 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