What Is the Difference Between Fruit and Vegetables?
Everyone knows the smart aleck who says things like: "Strawberries aren't really berries at all, they're fruits!" or "So, technically, peppers aren't really vegetables, they're fruits! Most people are probably thinking "What a smartass" - this article is not for them. But if you're like me and want to know everything there is to know about the world of botany, then you've come to the right place! Because today, I'm going to let you in on the secret of the differences between fruits and vegetables.
This Article Contains:
Quick Overview
What is the Difference Between Fruit and Vegetables?
The primary botanical difference lies in their origin: fruit develops from the fertilized flower of a perennial plant (the ovary). Vegetables, on the other hand, typically come from annual plants and consist of other plant parts such as roots, leaves, or stems. From a culinary perspective, fruit is usually consumed raw and sweet, while vegetables are often cooked and prepared as savory dishes.
What are Fruit Vegetables?
Some plants are difficult to categorize. This is where the category of fruit vegetables (also known as botanical fruits) is helpful:
- Definition: Botanically speaking, these are fruits because they develop from flowers; however, they are grown, harvested, and prepared like vegetables.
- Examples: Tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplants.
Botanical Knowledge: Fruit or Vegetable?
A fruit is a flower in its state of seed maturity; it represents the sexual reproductive organs of a plant. When the seeds inside are capable of germinating to form a new plant, the fruit is botanically mature.
Vegetables, however, are all those plant parts consumed by humans (raw or cooked) that do not serve the plant’s sexual reproduction. These can be leaves (spinach), stems (celery), roots (carrots), or tubers (kohlrabi).
The Fine Print: Botanical Fruit vs. Culinary Fruit
Within the "fruit" world, there are many sub-classifications. The most common culinary classification defines "Fruit" as anything that can be eaten fresh and has a sweet flavor. Anything that usually requires preparation or is savory is often called a "Fruit Vegetable." This is where definitions get blurry. The bell pepper is the best example: it can be eaten raw and tastes slightly sweet, yet it is mostly used in savory cooked dishes or salads.
Checklist: How to tell them apart
- Must the plant be sown every year? (Yes = usually a vegetable)
- Does the edible part grow from a flower? (Yes = usually fruit/fruit vegetable)
- Do you eat the root or the leaf? (Yes = always a vegetable)
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Join the Community NowDifferent Types of Fruit
- Berry: Botanists speak of a berry when the fruit's skin is fleshy or juicy in the broadest sense, that is, when there is pulp. Examples of such "botanical berries" are currants and bell peppers.
- Stone Fruit: If the inner part of the fruit skin - the so-called "endocarp" - is woody, it is a stone fruit. Classic drupes are cherries, peaches, and plums.
- Nut: If the entire shell of the fruit is lignified, it is called a nut in botany, such as the hazelnut.
- Aggregate fruits are when several small individual fruits have grown together to form one large fruit. For example, the raspberry is an aggregate stone fruit.
Botany is like its own language, with its own vocabulary. I hope I've introduced you to a few of them in this text, and that you've picked up a few fun facts and clever jokes for your next garden fence conversation with your neighbor! And let's face it: all these definitions are pretty irrelevant - the main thing is that the plants grow and the harvest tastes good. The intuitive understanding we have of fruits and vegetables is usually enough: if it's savory, it's a vegetable; if it's sweet, it's a fruit.
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Jonas
Jonas studied agricultural biology. He discovered his passion for plants and gardening through an internship at a permaculture NGO. Since then, he has been gardening on his balcony and in community gardens.
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I wonder if we’re in for a bountiful summer? Keep your fingers crossed that the mulberry tree doesn’t get hit by hail again this year. The Szechuan bush is blooming for the first time, the Uhudler (not sure if it’s Ripatella, Isabella, Othello, or Delaware) has its first blossoms too, and the Mayberry is doing exactly what it’s supposed to: producing berries in May 😄. I’m over the moon ❄️👸
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My strawberries are big enough now to need a little ground cover, so I added a thick layer of miscanthus. I'm curious to see how it works. Last year, I didn't have much success with a layer of straw, and later I ended up with snails in the bed. #strawberries #strawberrybed #miscanthus
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Hi, some of them are growing normally, but others have spots. The others have long roots, and then there are the damaged ones—to me, they look like they've been eaten. Unfortunately
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FAQ
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?
Botanically, it’s a fruit (grows from a flower). Culinarily, it’s a fruit vegetable because it's an annual crop and usually savory.
Is rhubarb fruit or vegetable?
It’s botanically a vegetable (stalk vegetable) because we eat the stems, not the fruit.
They belong to the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). Because they are annuals (must be sown every year), they are classified as fruit vegetables in horticulture.