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Food and Nutrition - Is The Tomato A Fruit Or A Vegetable?

Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable?

Botanists (scientists who study plants) classify the tomato (Lycopericon esculentum) technically as a berry, which in a scientific sense, is a simple fruit. But horticulturists (people who cultivate plants) and the United States Department of Agriculture, in its bulletins and reports, classify the tomato as a vegetable.

On May 10, 1893, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the tomato is a vegetable and, as such, is subject to import taxes under the United States Tariff Act of 1883. The Tariff Act imposed taxes on imported vegetables but not on fruits.

Sources: Herbst, Sharon X The New Food Lover's Companion: Comprehensive Definitions of Over 4000 Food, Wine, and Culinary Terms, p. 592; Stimpson, George. Information Roundup, p. 210.

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