Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? We will understand

Tomatoes in Russia began to eat in the XVIII century. Famed fruits are considered to be vegetables, however from the point of view of the European Union it is fruit. So is tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Let's figure it out. To do this, take the information from botany and see what happened to the culture throughout history.

Some information from botany

Fruit refers to a fleshy fruit with seeds that develops from a flower. Vegetables are small herbaceous plants with a soft stalk and non-wood tissue. That is, from the point of view of botany, all fruits with seeds are fruits. They are divided into fleshy (melons, apples, oranges, tangerines), stone (cherry, peach, plum) and dry (cereals, nuts, beans). Well, and tomato? A fruit or a vegetable? It turns out - a fruit, as it grows from a flower, inside its pulp - seeds.

But wait, not so simple. The peoples of the world have their own traditions and laws: in one place an edible part of a plant will be a fruit, in another - a vegetable. Tomatoes are even considered berries in some countries. In the course of history, something is changing, but something remains unchanged. For example, in our country, the avid truck farmers do not have a question: "What is a tomato: a fruit or a vegetable?" This is due to the fact that since ancient times, tomatoes in Russia were vegetables. But the United States recognized them as fruit, although with the reservation that they will be considered as such during transportation.

History of tomatoes

Tomato in the wild grew in South America - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia. Mexico was the first country to cultivate culture. Subsequently, it was brought to Europe. The first description of tomatoes was recorded in 1555 in Italy, where they were nicknamed "pomi d'oro", which means "green apple". Then the yellow tomatoes were considered fruits.

In the 16th century, the culture was grown in Spain, France, England and other countries, but it was considered exotic. Some people generally considered the fruits to be poisonous. Mass use of their food was only in the middle of 1700, when the myth of their virulence was dispelled. Tomatoes quickly spread all over the world. They began to eat in fresh form, add to soups, sauces, second dishes. Therefore, in 1893, to the question: "What is tomato: fruit or vegetable?" - the answer was received: the Supreme Court recognized tomato as a vegetable.

The outcome of the legal debate

The problem with the status of tomatoes arose in 1887, when in America introduced a tax on vegetables. According to the customs laws, there was no need to pay a tax on fruits. That is why there was a legal debate, because in fact, the fruit with the seeds is full (cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplants and others).

The court recognized the tomato as a vegetable, and the main argument was that he was eaten for lunch, and no dessert was served, since he was not sweet. In this case, the court decision runs counter to the botanical point of view. Here are such ambiguous tomatoes: the photo shows that the fruit has seeds and may well be called fruit.

Whatever it was, but in official instances now tomato is considered a vegetable, but not in all countries. Our people have long recognized the fruits as vegetables for their unsweetened taste. Ogorodnikam does not care how the fruits are classified, it's important that they can be added to almost any dish, they are delicious and very useful.