Fruit vs. Vegetable: The Botanical and Culinary Distinction

Botanically, a fruit is the mature ovary of a flowering plant, usually containing seeds. It develops from the fertilized flower. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and beans are fruits.

A vegetable is a culinary term for edible plant parts that are not sweet fruits: roots (carrots), stems (celery), leaves (spinach), flowers (broccoli), or even fruits used in savory dishes (tomatoes).

Key difference: "Fruit" is a botanical category; "vegetable" is a culinary one. The same plant part can be both (e.g., tomato). Woody plants (trees, shrubs) typically produce what we call fruits; herbaceous plants produce what we call vegetables, but the distinction is cultural, not scientific.

Legally, the U.S. Supreme Court (Nix v. Hedden, 1893) ruled tomato a vegetable for tariff purposes based on common usage.