Is a Tomato a Fruit or a Vegetable?

Question

Is a tomato a fruit or vegetable? I here all kind of answers and I'm getting confused. I need a good solid answer!

Answer 1

fruit.

my mum told me :]

Answer 2

It is categorized as a fruit because of the seeds.

Answer 3

Scientifically it is a Fruit.

According the the Unites States Government (for taxing purposes on produce transportation in at least one case) a Vegetable.

Answer 4

It's a fruit, it's often eaten as a vegetable, as are other fruits such as corn, stringbeans, cucumbers and whatnot.

Basically if it has seeds, it's a fruit.

Answer 5

I have always called it a "vegafruit" just to cover all bases!  

Answer 6

fruit

The confusion about 'fruit' and 'vegetable' arises because of the differences in usage between scientists and cooks. Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant (though cultivated forms may be seedless). Blueberries, raspberries, and oranges are true fruits, and so are many kinds of nut. Some plants have a soft part which supports the seeds and is also called a 'fruit', though it is not developed from the ovary: the strawberry is an example. As far as cooking is concerned, some things which are strictly fruits may be called 'vegetables' because they are used in savoury rather than sweet cooking. The tomato, though technically a fruit, is often used as a vegetable, and a bean pod is also technically a fruit. The term 'vegetable' is more generally used of other edible parts of plants, such as cabbage leaves, celery stalks, and potato tubers, which are not strictly the fruit of the plant from which they come. Occasionally the term 'fruit' may be used to refer to a part of a plant which is not a fruit, but which is used in sweet cooking: rhubarb, for example. So a tomato is the fruit of the tomato plant, but can be used as a vegetable in cooking.

Answer 7

Botanically:  a fruit, b/c it grows after a flower is fertilized

Nutritionally:  a veggie, b/c it's plant-based and very low in fructose content.

Answer 8

fruit

Answer 9

I think its a fruit but like the avacado...it tastes more like a veggie!