Tag: Tomato classification

Did you know that many foods you consider vegetables, like tomatoes and cucumbers, are technically fruits? The common kitchen categories often clash with the scientific facts of plant biology.

According to botanists, a tomato is a true berry, a type of fruit that develops from the single ovary of a flower. The question, "Are tomatoes in the berry family?" might seem like a trick, but its answer lies in the specific rules of botanical classification versus everyday culinary use.

While tomatoes are botanically fruits, a historical 1893 U.S. Supreme Court case ruled that, for tariff purposes, tomatoes should be classified as a vegetable based on their culinary use. This ruling is a major reason for the long-standing confusion surrounding the question, 'Does the FDA consider tomatoes a vegetable?'