Tag: Seed classification

While commonly treated as a vegetable in the kitchen, peas are botanically the spherical seeds of the flowering plant *Pisum sativum*, which is part of the legume family. This biological fact is at the heart of the confusion surrounding the question, are peas seeds or beans?

Originating in India over 3,000 years ago, sesame (*Sesamum indicum*) was one of the first oilseed crops cultivated by humans. The question of what is a sesame seed classified as can be answered by exploring its botanical identity as a seed, not a nut or legume, as well as its important culinary and allergen classifications.

Egusi, a West African staple, is often mistaken for a legume, but it is not. Understanding under what classes of food is egusi reveals it to be a high-protein, fat-rich oilseed derived from a specific type of gourd-like melon, the core of many West African soups.

Botanically, seeds are the matured ovules contained within a fruit, which is the ripened ovary of a flowering plant. Therefore, asking "Do seeds count as fruit and vegetables?" requires understanding two very different systems of classification: scientific and culinary.