False technically! To you and me tomatoes are vegetables of course, but to a botanist they are fruit.
Vegetables Versus Fruits!
OK, before you start rolling your eyes, I am well aware that this myth falls, for most people, in the "who cares" category. But who knows, you may find yourself on Jeopardy someday! From a scientific standpoint, a "fruit" is the part of a plant that contains the seed(s). Thus, apples, oranges, cantaloupes, peaches, and grapes are all fruits. No surprise there! But by this definition, tomatoes, squash, eggplant, cucumbers, okra, peppers, and many other "vegetables" are fruits. True vegetables include lettuce, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, celery, ginger, garlic, and asparagus.
Of course, we all use the common distinction that vegetables are not sweet and are typically eaten with the main course, while fruits are sweet and are more often eaten on their own or as part of dessert.
The Supreme Court Says "Vegetable!"
The question of vegetable versus fruit actually came before the Supreme Court in 1893. At the time there was an import tariff applied to vegetables but not to fruit. An importer argued that because tomatoes were technically a fruit they should not be subject to the tariff. Unfortunately for the importer, the Supreme Court went with common usage and ruled unanimously that for tariff purposes tomatoes would be considered to be a vegetable.
Case closed!
Some Other "Fruity" Myths for You!
Does fruit ripen after picking? A lot does, but not all.
Eating bananas does not actually attract mosquitos.
