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 Tomato: Fruit or Vegetable?
Botanically, tomatoes are a fruit. This is because a fruit is the edible part of the plant
that contains the seeds, while a vegetable is the edible stems, leaves, and
roots of the plant. Commercially (and on our dinner plates) it's known as a vegetable.
 Top Ten Facts About Tomatoes:
- The
tomato plant originated in South America and was domesticated by the Incas as
early as 700 A.D. Back then, the
tomato had many ruffles and ridges.
- Spanish
monks cultivated the tomato, although it was not widely accepted by Europeans as
an edible fruit.
- Thomas
Jefferson was known to be a connoisseur of the tomato and tried to convince
people it was a great fruit.
- During
the nineteenth century, the French called the tomato "The Apple of
Love," the Germans "The Apple of Paradise;" but the British
believed it was poisonous (it is in the nightshade family).
-
 It
is now the most widely grown "vegetable" (it's a fruit, you know) in
the United States
- Tomatoes
are a valuable source of food minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamins A and
C.
- Studies
have shown that people who eat large amounts of tomatoes or tomato products may
be at lower risk of some kinds of cancer.
- Tomatoes
are generally started in greenhouses, hotbeds, or cold frames; the plants are
set out in the fields when danger of frost is past.
- The
first Americans to start using tomatoes in their cooking were the Creoles in
South Louisiana.
- Tomatoes
used for canning are harvested by machines, but table tomatoes are still hand
picked.
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