Botanically speaking, what's the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?
QUESTION: I was at the farmers market and we were talking about the difference between fruits and vegetables. I was told that vegetables do not have seeds and fruit do. I am somewhat confused because I think there are vegetables that have seeds - like tomatoes, squash and peppers. I went to the Internet and I am now even more confused. Is there a good explanation about the difference between fruit and vegetable? -- Jeannie Blair.
ANSWER: This is an interesting question. The definition you were given -- that vegetables do not have seeds and fruits do - is not at all useful - basically, it's just wrong. Plenty of vegetables have seeds. And some vegetables, like green peas and red beans, are seeds.
Some of the confusion arises from the way the word fruit is used in common usage and how it is used botanically. Botanically, fruit refers to the structure of a flowering plant (generally, the mature ovary) that encloses the seeds. So, botanically, acorns, okra pods, apples, tomatoes, peaches, sunflower seeds, peppers and green beans are all botanical examples of fruit.
Some of the "vegetables" we eat are, botanically, the fruit of the plants that produce them. The only reason that this sounds odd is that the common usage of the word "fruit" is different from the botanical meaning of the word.
To some people, it seems odd to say a vegetable like a tomato is actually the fruit of the tomato plant. But, that is no different than saying a carrot is actually a root, or turnip greens are actually leaves, or red beans are actually seeds. You are simply naming the particular part of the plant we are eating as a vegetable.
Of course, there are lots of exceptions. But, it is better to simply acknowledge them than dwell on them. Most of what we call fruit comes from woody trees, shrubs and vines (strawberries, bananas and blackberries are exceptions). Most of what we call vegetables comes from herbaceous plants that do not produce woody stems.
Source: nola.com
