What Is The Difference Between A Fruit And A Vegetable?
Have you ever wondered why we refer to some foods as vegetables, even though they're actually botanical fruits? As it turns out, there's a simple explanation for why we've started calling certain foods like squash and tomatoes vegetables. The answer lies in history—and it's much more interesting than you'd think!
Botanically speaking, a fruit is a seed-bearing structure that develops from the ovary of a flowering plant. Vegetables are all other plant parts—roots, leaves and stems. Fruits are sweet and juicy while vegetables are savory and crunchy.
And just so you know: seeds aren't the only thing that can make something a fruit. In fact, some fruits don't have any seeds at all! For example: bananas have no seeds but are still considered to be fruits because they are part of the same plant family as oranges and grapes—which do have seeds inside them.
There's a lot of confusion about the difference between fruits and vegetables because, in the culinary sense of the word, fruits are sweet while vegetables are generally savory. Many people assume that since ketchup is made from tomatoes (fruits), ketchup must be a fruit—but this isn't true at all! On the other hand, many people believe that eggplants are vegetables when they're really actually fruits.
In plants that produce both flowers and fruit (like apples or cucumbers), you'll find seeds surrounded by fleshy tissue. The fleshy part can be eaten raw or cooked—for example, most lemons become lemonade when they're squeezed into juice form—and so these plants fall under the umbrella term "fruit." Plants with seeds surrounded by a protective coating but not much other flesh tend to be used more often in savory dishes: tomatoes are one such example.
So why do we call certain foods like squash and tomatoes vegetables when they're really botanical fruits?
The word 'vegetable' comes from the Latin word vegetabilis, which means 'able to grow'. The word fruit comes from the Latin word frutos, which means 'to enjoy'.
The first known use of the word 'vegetable' was in 1398 AD. It referred not only to edible plants but also those that could be eaten by humans or animals and included flowers, grasses and herbs as well as vegetables.
The etymology of fruits is a bit more complicated because it seems there are two possible origins: one is related with reproduction (e.g., "frui" in French), and another one with enjoyment ("frutos" in Latin).
We hope we’ve cleared up some of the confusion around what a fruit is, and why our language has evolved to refer to some foods as both. While it may not be ideal for every situation, there are many reasons why we choose to call certain foods vegetables rather than fruits. Whether you’re debating which type of tomato sauce will go best with your spaghetti or enjoying a bowl of sweet potato soup on its own, we hope this video has given you some insight into how our food system works!