Virginians debate whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable

Tomato: Fruit or Vegetable?Photo byFoeNyx/Wikipedia Screenshot

I am a native of Virginia. A few days ago, I wrote an article about Virginians' knowledge that peanuts are not nuts even though "nut" is in their name. Some readers disagreed, and others accepted that peanuts are legumes because they grow underground, and nuts grow on trees above the ground.

Here is another food Virginians debate about.

Tomatoes are fruits

Tomatoes are fruits because they have ripened flower ovaries that contain seeds. Many Virginians refuse to say tomatoes are fruits.

Tomatoes are vegetables

Some argue that tomatoes are vegetables because that is what they have always been told.

Tomatoes are both fruits and vegetables

TomatoesPhoto byThomas MartinsenonUnsplash

How can tomatoes be both fruits and vegetables?

According to Britannica:

Nutritionists consider tomatoes as vegetables. Botantists considered tomatoes as fruits because their ripened flower ovaries contain seeds.

In other words, it depends on whether you get your answer from a nutritionist or from a botanist. We commonly refer to tomatoes as vegetables when used in savory dishes, but botanists argue that they are fruits because of how they were made.