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Botanists have been categorizing produce for a long time, but if you think you can distinguish between a fruit and a vegetable, you might be wrong. The easiest way to list down different fruits and vegetables into their respective categories is the way they taste. We expect fruits to be sweet and vegetables to be savory.
However, you'll be surprised to find out how many vegetables are hiding in your list of favorite desserts. The textbook definition of a vegetable is anything edible that comes out of a plant, whereas fruits are a specific plant part. A lot of the fruits are mislabeled as vegetables, and vice versa, because technically, some fruits are vegetables and some vegetables are fruits.
Weird Fruits and Vegetables That Are Not What They Seem
1) Avocado
The vegetable you put on your toast early morning is actually a fruit - shocking right? Avocado is considered a fruit because it is a single-seeded, humongous berry with a fleshy pulp.
Avocados work great in desserts, smoothies, and many other interesting recipes rather than just enhancing your regular toasts.
2) Olives
Olives are commonly thought to be vegetables and are often used in pizzas, pasta, and other savory dishes. However, because they are produced by the olive tree's flower, hence, they're a fruit.
The developed ovary of a plant, which is situated in the flower, produces a fruit. Because they all develop from flowers, all of these veggies are technically fruits.
3) Corn
Corn has been a household essential ingredient for the longest time. People use corn in salads, soups, sandwiches, and much more. When popped with some buttery goodness, it also becomes one of the most popular snacks around the world.
However, corn is categorized as a fruit and not a vegetable. This is because they originate from the plant's flower.
4) Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a popular ingredient used by top chefs in their desserts from all around the world, which is why most people assume it's a fruit. However, that's not the case.
This is due to the fact that only the stem or stalk of rhubarb is edible. Meanwhile. the plant's roots and leaves carry oxalic acid, which makes it poisonous to the kidneys.
5) Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a versatile produce used for a variety of dishes like, soup, stew, and also desserts like pie. Pumpkins are categorized as a fruit because they belong to the family of Cucurbitaceae, accompanied by Butternut and Zuchini.
6) Watermelon
Watermelon is a favorite fruit for most people all around the world. But, is it really a fruit though? It's not that simple.
The word "gourd" is occasionally used to refer to plants in the Cucurbitaceae family, which also includes vegetables like pumpkins and squash. Even young gourds can be prepared and eaten in vegetable form. Watermelon is occasionally mistaken for a vegetable since it is produced using vegetable production methods.
7) Eggplants
Your favorite vegetable baba ganoush is not actually a vegetable. Shocking right?
Botanists categorize eggplants as fruits because of the way they grow. Fruits have seeds and originate from the flower part of the plant, unlike vegetables. Like all veggies and fruits, eggplants are jam-packed with an array of nutrients that are great for your gut health and also helps in regulating your blood sugar.
8) Peppers
Peppers hold the power to add a kick to any of your boring meals, and the kick can be both sweet and spicy enough to blow your mind. Its colorful and crisp texture makes them a popular choice for salads, sandwiches, and many other scrumptious dishes.
Peppers are categorized as fruits because they have little seeds in the center, and they originate from the flower part of the pepper plant.
9) Peas
According to botanical terms, peas are categorized as fruits. This is because, pea pods are grown from the pea flower's ovaries, and have multiple seeds within them.
Hence, peas individually are vegetables, but the pea pods are classified as fruits. However, in the culinary world, they're used as a vegetable because of their cooking properties.
10) Tomatoes
You might have been surprised looking at a lot of the names on this list, but not this one. The good old debate "is tomato a fruit or a vegetable" has been around for a long time, and well, the answer is, it's both!
Botanically speaking, because of it's seed-bearing characteristic, tomatoes are considered fruits just like peaches, apples, and strawberries. However, the culinary definition of tomatoes begs to differ from the botanical point of view. According to them, any produce that you have to cook is a savory dish. Hence, they categorize tomatoes under the vegetable category.
To summarize, we still have a lot to learn when it comes down to knowing our vegetables and fruits. One thing that we know for sure is that both fruits and vegetables are extremely beneficial for us and should be included in all of our meals to make them nutritious and balanced, irrespective of the category they are put in.
