Tomatoes and cucumbers can be eaten raw or cooked, so are they vegetables or fruits?

We generally think of fruits as being eaten raw, while vegetables need to be cooked before eating, so what are things that can be eaten both raw and cooked, fruits or vegetables? We generally consider fruits to fall into the category of being eaten raw, while vegetables need to go through kitchen cooking and processing before they can be eaten. That is to say, from this perspective, cucumbers and tomatoes belong both to fruits and to vegetables. However, one point we should note is that whether eaten raw or cooked, tomatoes and cucumbers are not quite the same as the fruits we eat, and the places where tomatoes are grown are generally called vegetable gardens, and most people mainly use them as vegetables. In this sense, these two are different from fruits such as apples and bananas that we refer to, therefore, in terms of legal classification, tomatoes and cucumbers are defined as vegetables. Science Xingnong also agrees with this view.

In fact, there are many others similar to cucumbers and tomatoes, such as soybeans and carrots. When soybeans are eaten as edamame, they count as a vegetable, and when mature they become a grain. As for carrots, they can also fall into the category of fruits, but after all, not many people eat carrots raw, so few people call them fruits.

We usually call vegetables and fruits "fruit and vegetable", for example a fruit and vegetable store, and one implied meaning of this is that the boundary between fruits and vegetables is actually not very clear, so the two are discussed together. Speaking of this, here is a little story about tomatoes for everyone.

In 1895, a British merchant imported and shipped a batch of tomatoes to the United States, and according to local law, imported fruits could be exempt from tariffs, while vegetables required a 10% tariff. When the tomatoes entered customs, a dispute arose. The merchant side believed tomatoes were fruits, while the customs side believed tomatoes were vegetables. The two sides were deadlocked and took the matter to court. Ultimately, the court held that tomatoes, like cucumbers and soybeans, are generally vining fruits, and people also habitually send tomatoes to the kitchen for processing before eating, so it legally defined them as vegetables.

Regarding the question of whether tomatoes and cucumbers are vegetables or fruits, Science Xingnong believes there is no need to take this issue too seriously. As a kind of food for us, however it tastes good is how we should eat it. If you want to treat it as a fruit, eat it raw; if you want to treat it as a vegetable, cook it before eating.

The above is a little view shared with you by Science Xingnong. Welcome to follow, and let me take you to grow knowledge together.