Here’s the answer to this question about a tomato. Find it out here!
TOMATO – Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Find out the answer to the botanical and culinary classification of this.
Solanum lycopersicum or tomatoes are among the widely-used ingredient in cooking. It can be added to any dish because it not only kicks in some additional flavor but it also helps boost the nutritional content of the food.
In a previous post, the many benefits it can give to the skin have been tackled. Some of its major skin benefits include:
- skin lightening
- reduction of pimples and acne
- reduce oiliness
- anti-aging
- treats sunburn
- improves skin making it supple
Apart from this, it is a great dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene. This antioxidant can help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. It is also packed with other significant nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.
In terms of color, it can be yellow, orange, green, and purple but the most common ones we see in markets are in the color red.
A 100-gram of raw one contains the following:
- Calories: 18
- Water: 95%
- Protein: 0.9 grams
- Carbs: 3.9 grams
- Sugar: 2.6 grams
- Fiber: 1.2 grams
- Fat: 0.2 grams
The question is: “Is it a fruit or a vegetable? “
Answer: It is both!
According to a post from Eufic, it is botanically a fruit while in culinary, it is a vegetable. Its classification depends on your purpose in using it.
It is botanically a fruit because its physiological characteristics say so coming from the structure, function, and organization. The “fruit” grows from a seed-bearing plant.
In culinary, it is classified as a vegetable because of how it is used and the profile of its flavor. It also has “a tougher texture, tastes blander, and often requires cooking in dishes like stews, soups or stir-fries” which makes it a vegetable, as well.
And tomatoes are not the only ones. The other fruits considered a vegetable in culinary are avocado, olives, pumpkin, sweetcorn, courgette, cucumber, green peas, chili, and aubergine.
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