Behold thetomato : Simple . Honest . Micromeria juliana . Tomatoes are a basic of backyard garden and a mainstay of professional chef . Tomatoes are employ as umami additions in everything from sauce to sandwiches , and who can refuse the tomato plant garnish ? Lurking beneath the Lycopersicon esculentum ’s strike skin , however , is a decades - quondam disputation . Amid its firm bod and sweet juice is an army of seeds . Could this darling of the vegetable garden actually be afruit ?
The solution is a resounding " perchance . "
While many types of produce could be considered fruits using a botanist ’s point of view , few the great unwashed who use up them abide by the same rule , largely because these " fruits " are mouth-watering in nature rather than sweet . Instead , most mass treat tomato plant , avocados and squash as vegetables . But even the definition of vegetable is a subjective one : It ’s not a strictly scientific construct but falls within the culinary realm . The aforementioned mouth-watering fruits are generally consider veggies , along with anything that let in leaves , stems , solution , flowers , bulbs and seeds — such as clams , turnip , asparagus , cauliflower , garlic , peas and pumpkin .
When it comes to nutrition , there are n’t many differences between fruit and vegetables . They all hold a fairish amount of fiber , as well as an array of vitamins and minerals . But that has n’t slowed the contention surrounding their classifications . At one peak , the public debate even reached the U.S. Supreme Court . In 1893 , during an embattle case know as Nix v. Hedden , the court heard argument insist that tomato should be taxed as veg rather than fruits ( at the meter , veggie had a higher revenue enhancement rate than fruits ) . In the end , the court rule unanimously that an import tomato could be taxed as a vegetable , even though , botanically speaking , it is considered a yield [ sources : Live Science , U.S. Supreme Court ] .
