Although the supreme court has declared Tomato is legally a vegetable, the answer to whether it’s a berry, fruit, or vegetable is still controversial.
However, due to the low sugar content and tangy flavor, we use Tomatoes as a vegetable rather than eating them as a fruit or a berry.
So, read this entire article to quench your confusion about Tomatoes being fruit, berry, or vegetable.
Is Tomato A Berry Or Fruit?
As a culinary term, we understand berry as small, pulpy, and edible fruits like Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, etc.
However, science defines berry as a simple fruit that grows from a single flower and ovary containing seeds.
Moreover, fruits are fleshy, edible plant parts of the plant containing seeds.
Tomato is neither a berry nor a fruit in the culinary world. But, it perfectly aligns with the scientific definition of berry.
Technically, all berries are fruits, but all fruits aren’t berries. As Tomato is a berry, it falls under fruit too.
Is Tomato A Berry Or Vegetable?
Systematically, any edible part of the plant that does not function as a reproductive part is a vegetable.
Whereas we understand vegetables as the mild-flavored edible part of the plant that tastes delicious when cooked.
Since we cook Tomatoes along with other vegetables and use them as a salad and dressing, it’s obvious to call it a vegetable instead of fruit.
The definition of fruit and a berry perfectly matches Tomatoes as it bears reproductive parts, i.e., seeds.
Although we consider this savory, umami-flavored Tomato as a vegetable, it’s actually a fruit and technically a berry.
From Editorial Team
Final Thought!
As I mentioned above, the fruits we call berries, like Strawberries, Raspberries, etc., don’t follow the scientific definition.
To be a true berry, the fruit must come from a single ovary and contain seeds, just like Tomatoes.
As Tomato is a fleshy fruit that has seeds as reproductive parts and develops from a single ovary, it’s definitely a true berry.
