Results for “is tomato a vegetable” · retrieved September 22, 2026
A tomato is both a fruit and a vegetable, depending on whether you are speaking botanically or in a culinary context.
Botanically, a tomato is a fruit because it develops from a flower and contains seeds. However, in culinary and common usage, it is classified as a vegetable because it is typically served in savory main dishes rather than as a dessert. This distinction was famously solidified in the 1893 U.S. Supreme Court case Nix v. Hedden, which ruled that tomatoes should be classified as vegetables for customs and tariff purposes based on how they are commonly prepared and eaten. Consequently, the tomato is widely considered both, depending on the context.
Answer details
Botanical classification
Botanically, tomatoes are fruits because they develop from a fertilized flower and contain seeds.
Culinary classification
In culinary and common usage, tomatoes are considered vegetables because they are typically served as part of savory meals rather than as desserts.
Legal status in the U.S.
In the 1893 case Nix v. Hedden, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that tomatoes are vegetables for the purposes of trade and customs, prioritizing common usage over botanical definitions.
Regional and regulatory variations
Classification can vary by region and purpose; for example, some U.S. states have designated the tomato as a state fruit or vegetable, and the European Union has classified it as a fruit for jam-making.
Sources 8
About this answerIs a Tomato a Fruit? It Depends on How You Slice It | National Geographic
To a botanist, a fruit is an entity that develops from the fertilized ovary of a flower. This means that tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, corn kernels, and bean and pea pods are all fruits; so are apples, pears, peaches, apricots, melons and mangos. A vegetable, botanically, is any edible part of a plant that doesn’t happen to be a fruit, as in leaves (spinach, lettuce, cabbage), roots (carrots, beets, turnips), stems (a
February 9, 2015
Nix v. Hedden | 149 U.S. 304 (1893) | Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center
takes judicial notice...not as evidence,...but only as aids to the...and understanding of the court....Tomatoes are "vegetables," and not "fruit," within the meaningof the Tariff Act of March 3, 1883, c. 121....Tomatoes are "vegetables," and not "fruit," within the meaningof the Tariff Act of March 3, 1883, c. 121....The single question in this case is whether tomatoes, considered...as provisions, are to be classed as "vegetables" or as "fruit"..
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Is a Tomato a Fruit or Vegetable?
Tomatoes contain seeds and grow from flowers, making them a fruit botanically. But in their culinary uses, tomatoes are considered vegetables....They’re typically grouped...vegetables in the culinary world, but you may have...heard them referred to...On the other hand, vegetables are the roots, stems, leaves or other auxiliary parts of the plant. Some well-known vegetables include spinach, lettuce, carrots, beets and celery (2)....According to sc
October 17, 2018
Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? - Yard and Garden
The answer is both! It depends on your perspective....In common usage, a fruit is a plant part that is used chiefly in desserts. In contrast, a vegetable is defined as a plant part eaten with the principal part of the meal. That plant part could be a leaf, stem, root, seed, flower, or fruit. This makes snap beans, carrots, and spinach vegetables, while apples and cherries are fruit. By this definition, the tomato is a vegetable because it is usua
August 25, 2025
Tomato
The tomato (US: / təˈ m eɪ t oʊ/, UK: / təˈ mɑː t oʊ/; Solanum lycopersicum) is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from western South America, and may have been domesticated there, in Mexico, or in Central America. The Spanish introduced tomatoes to Eurasia in the Columbian exchange in the 16th century.
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Are Tomatoes Fruits or Vegetables? | Snopes.com
Claim: Tomatoes are officially considered fruits in the U.S. Rating:...Many nutritionists and botanists consider the food a fruit based on its genetic structure and function....However, that's not the only word on the matter. Other nutritionists, the U.S. Supreme Court, the USDA, and culinary experts have classified tomatoes as vegetables based on flavor and their role in recipes....Fruits are defined, in part, as edible foods that are the reprod
March 6, 2021
The obscure Supreme Court case that decided tomatoes are vegetables - The Washington Post
(The Washington Post)Analysis by Caitlin DeweyIt’s a question used to trick schoolkids the nation over: Is the tomato actually a fruit or a vegetable?Botanically, it’s a fruit. But legally, it’s not.Subscribe for unlimited access to The PostSave on unmatched reporting.Get your first year for $2 every four weeksAnd the origins of that discrepancy lie in a 19th-century Supreme Court case so obscure, many tomato experts aren’t even aware of it..
October 18, 2017
When The Supreme Court Decided Tomatoes Were Vegetables : Planet Money : NPR
In the 19th century, the U.S. Supreme Court faced a similarly ridiculous question: Are tomatoes fruits or vegetables?...At the time the Port Authority of New York classified tomatoes as vegetables, which were subject to a 10 percent import tax....A fruit importer argued that tomatoes were fruits, which were not taxed....In the case, witnesses read from dictionaries, and definitions for "fruit" and "vegetable" were read in court. Also definitions
December 26, 2013
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