Tag: Botanical vs culinary

According to one large study, people who eat more than 30 different types of plant foods a week have a significantly more diverse gut microbiome than those eating fewer than 10. Understanding what counts as eating a plant is the first step toward reaping these health rewards.

Over 90% of the world's cashews are consumed in the United States, yet most people are unaware of their unique botanical origin. While widely considered a nut in the culinary world, the cashew is not a true botanical nut, and it is certainly not a berry.

Potatoes belong to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, alongside tomatoes and eggplants, yet are they a fruit like their relatives? The answer requires a look at both botany and culinary classification, revealing a surprising and decisive truth about this popular staple food.

According to the USDA's MyPlate guidelines, vegetables belong to their own designated food group, which is further divided into five subgroups based on nutrient content. However, the answer to "what category do veggies fall under?" is not so simple, as the classification depends on whether you are using a culinary, botanical, or nutritional perspective.

Over 80% of vegetables consumed are categorized by the part of the plant they come from, an intuitive method for cooks and home gardeners. Yet, botanists, chefs, and nutritionists all have distinct perspectives on how do you categorize vegetables, moving beyond simple kitchen logic to include scientific and cultural factors.

According to the USDA, a single cup of raw lettuce is considered a cup from the Vegetable group, placing it firmly in this dietary category. But does lettuce count as a vegetable by scientific standards, and what exactly is the difference between botanical and culinary definitions?

According to botanists at the Reading Science Center, the term 'vegetable' does not exist as a formal scientific category, but rather refers to any edible part of a plant that isn't a fruit. This critical distinction raises a fascinating question: do scientists classify anything as vegetables, or is it a purely culinary term rooted in tradition and taste?