Tomatoes in Russia began to be eaten in the 18th century. Favorite fruits are ranked among vegetables, however, from the point of view of the European Union, these are fruits. So is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Let's figure it out. To do this, take information from botany and see what happened to the culture throughout history.
Some information from botany
By fruit is meant a fleshy fruit with seeds that develops from a flower. Vegetables are small herbaceous plants with a soft stem and non-woody tissue. That is, from the point of view of botany, all fruits with seeds are fruits. They are divided into fleshy (melons, apples, oranges, tangerines), stone fruits (cherries, peaches, plums) and dry (cereals, nuts, beans). Well, a tomato? Fruit or vegetable? It turns out - a fruit, since it grows from a flower, inside its pulp - seeds.
But wait, it's not that simple. The peoples of the world have their own traditions and laws: in one place the edible part of the plant will be a fruit, in another - a vegetable. Tomatoes are even considered berries in some countries. In the course of history, something changes, but something remains unchanged. For example, in our country, inveterate gardeners do not have the question: “What is a tomato: fruit or vegetable?” This is due to the fact that since ancient times, tomatoes in Russia were vegetables. But the United States recognized them as fruits, though with the proviso that during transportation they will be considered as such.
History of Tomatoes
Tomato in the wild grew in South America - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia. Mexico was the first country to cultivate culture. Subsequently, it was brought to Europe. The first description of tomatoes was recorded in 1555 in Italy, where they were nicknamed "pom d'oro", which means "green apple". Then yellow tomatoes were considered fruits.
In the XVI century, the culture began to grow in Spain, France, England and other countries, but it was considered exotic. Some people generally considered the fruit to be poisonous. They began to eat them massively only in the middle of 1700, when the myth of their toxicity was dispelled. Tomatoes quickly spread around the world. They began to eat fresh, add to soups, sauces, main dishes. Therefore, in 1893, to the question: “What is a tomato: fruit or vegetable?” - the answer was received: the Supreme Court recognized the tomato as a vegetable.
The outcome of the legal debate
The problem with the status of tomatoes arose in 1887, when a vegetable tax was introduced in America. According to customs laws, there was no need to pay fruit tax. That is why there was legal debate, because in fact there are a lot of fruits with seeds (cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplant and others).
The court recognized the tomato as a vegetable, and the main argument was that it is eaten for lunch, but not served for dessert, as it is not sweet. In this case, the court decision runs counter to the botanical point of view. Here are such ambiguous tomatoes: the photo shows that the fruit has seeds and may well be called fruit.
Be that as it may, but in official instances the tomato is now considered a vegetable, but not in all countries. Our people have long recognized fruits as vegetables for their savory taste. It is not important for gardeners how the cultivated fruits are classified, it is important that they can be added to almost any dish, they are tasty and very healthy.