Fruit vs. Vegetable: Botanical & Culinary Definitions Explained

Fruits and vegetables are defined differently in biology and in the kitchen. There is a debate as to whether certain foods, like beans, are a fruit or vegetable.

Botanical Differences

• According to The Vegetable Resource and Information Center, fruit is the "mature ovary in flowering plants, together with all inseparably connected parts of the flower." The seeds of a plant come from its fruit. Any remaining edible part of the plant is considered a vegetable.

Culinary Differences

• In the kitchen, fruits are generally considered sweet, vegetables as savory. Vegetables are used in cooked dishes more often than fruits, which are often used for snacks and deserts. Culinary vegetables that are actually botanical fruits include tomato, pumpkin, pepper, cucumber, squash and eggplant.

Beans

• In scientific communities, whether beans are a fruit or vegetable is debated. Beans are found in the legume plant's unique pod. Groups like the Centers for Disease Control consider beans to be a vegetable. Other groups, like the European Association for Grain Legumes Research, consider the beans found in these pods to be fruits.