What Makes a Vegetable Not a Fruit?

Have you ever asked for a tomato on your sandwich and your friend goes “Did you know that’s a fruit?”. It’s a conversation that usually erupts in an argument on what makes a vegetable not a fruit, and rules seem to change daily. The main point argued is if it has seeds, then it’s a fruit; however, both need seeds to be able to reproduce. 

Now there are different classifications of fruits and vegetables based on culinary and scientific terms; culinary focuses on their level of sweetness to classify, while scientists base it on how they are grown.

Most vegetables have more of a mild taste when compared to fruits. This allows them to be cooked with lunches and dinners because they blend well with proteins and carry lots of nutrients. 

Vegetables are considered different from fruits because of their classification based on how they grow, specifically which part they come from. Fruits grow directly from seeds while vegetables grow from roots, bulbs, and leaves. 

According to The Healthline, the fruits that are most often thought to be vegetables are “avocados, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, olives, pumpkins, and zucchini ” since they all grow from seeds. It makes sense these are misclassified because these are often considered vegetables from recipes. 

Overall, the reason people get fruits and vegetables mixed up is that some are in both categories. This means that both people are technically correct due to the different classifications required for culinary and science purposes.