Tired of arguments about whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable? Here’s the “definitive” answer: It is both! “Fruit” is a biological term used to describe the seed-bearing part of a plant. “Fruit” is also, along with “vegetable,” a culinary term based on tradition and the way foods are used. In biological terms, a tomato is a fruit — as are peas, cucumbers, corn, and sweet pepper. In culinary terms, those things are vegetables. For you visual learners here is a diagram.
