Il tomato it is one of the most consumed foods especially during the summer; generally, in the supermarket, they are grouped together with vegetables, but many argue that in reality they are a fruit!
What is the difference between fruits and vegetables? From the point of nutritional view, fruits and vegetables receive a lot of attention as they are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.
While they have many characteristics in common, they also have some differences.
Index
THE BOTANICAL POINT OF VIEW
The botanical classification of fruits and vegetables is based on the structure and function of the part of the plant in question.
Fruits are formed from flowers, have seeds and help the plant's reproduction process (they are common fruits: apples, pears, peaches, blueberries).
On the other hand, the vegetables are the roots, stems, leaves or other auxiliary parts of plants (some known vegetables: spinach, lettuce, carrots, beets).
THE CULINARY POINT OF VIEW
When it comes to to cook, the system of classification of fruits and vegetables changes significantly compared to how they are classified botanically.
In culinary practice, fruits and vegetables are used based on their profiles of taste and flavor. In general, a fruit has a soft texture and tends to have a sweet and sometimes sour or spicy taste.
The fruits are best suited for desserts, jams and for eating alone as , snack. Vegetables, on the contrary, have a flavor that tends more towards salty and bitter; They have a harder consistency and often require cooking.
IS TOMATOES A FRUIT OR A VEGETABLE?
Botanically, the tomato is a fruit!
All fruits have one or multiple seeds inside and they grow from the flower of a plant; As with other fruits, tomatoes are formed from small yellow flowers on the vine and naturally contain a lot of seeds, which can be harvested and used to produce other tomato plants.
The tomato, however, is often classified as a vegetable; much of the confusion comes from their culinary use.
Cooking is an art as valid as science, but which gives way to greater flexibility for the classification of different foods.
An interesting historical anecdote tells us that in 1893 tomatoes were officially considered a vegetable by the United States Supreme Court over a legal dispute with a tomato importer, who claimed they were fruit to avoid the higher vegetable tariff.
It was precisely as a result of this case that the tomato was declared a vegetable on the basis of its culinary applications, rather than the botanical categorization.
IDENTITY CRISIS BETWEEN VEGETABLES AND VEGETABLES
Tomatoes aren't the only ones struggling with these identity crises and discrimination!
It is quite common for other plants botanically classified as fruits to be considered as vegetables from a culinary point of view:
- cucumbers
- peas
- pepperoni
- eggplant
Una vegetables which, on the other hand, are very often exchanged for fruit and which also in the culinary field has more use for desserts is the rhubarb!
And did you know that the tomato for science is a fruit and not a vegetable? Let us know in the comments and remember to follow us on our Telegram channel
SUBSCRIBE HERE TO THE TELEGRAM CHANNEL