Any common fruits that get mistaken called a veggie?

[zandi]

Oh, it seems, I have my fruits and veggies mixed up. Here I was thinking avocados was a veggie. See, I have a lot to learn! I was wondering, if there were any more other common mistakes that I should be of aware of in the future! Now, I do know that tomatoes are a fruit, right? Have to admit, I was really quite surprised to learn about the avocado's! Wow! lol So, helpful cookers out there, how about giving me a heads up any others, so I do not look so silly in the future! Thanks, in advance!

 

[Rosyrain]

I think the most common veggie mistake is considering a tomato a veggie, when it is actually a fruit. I recently learned that squash is also a fruit. For some reason the only squad that I thought of as a fruit before we're pumpkins. I seem to remember hearing that cucumbers were fruit as well, but I am not totally sure on that one.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Yep, cucumbers are fruits, so ate courgettes (zucchinis), squashes, pumpkin, beans, peas, and a whole load of others.

But, and this is the big but, it depends on the type of definition you are using!
You didn't want an easy life did you?

So biologically, any thing that contains a seed is a fruit.
Culinarily, anything that is a sweet, fleshy product of a tree or plant that can be eaten.

Still isn't helping hugely though because even the humble cucumber is actually slightly sweet when really ripe and just picked!

The truth is that what we know from the supermarket shelves had a much simpler division, of it is sweet it is usually a fruit. Anything else is a vegetable, but there are always exceptions like avacados!

 

[JoanMcWench]

I was going to say the same thing. Especially tomato. Only because it seems to be the one everyone knows about already but still demands to call it a veggie. I have a feeling Tomato is totally sad about not being in more fruit salads. Those class-ists.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I was going to say the same thing. Especially tomato. Only because it seems to be the one everyone knows about already but still demands to call it a veggie. I have a feeling Tomato is totally sad about not being in more fruit salads. Those class-ists.

The tomato being thought of as a vegetable and not a fruit is as a direct result of an American Supreme Court law suit to levy taxes in 1893.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=149&invol=304
Whilst the taxes have long since been abandoned, the idea of the tomato being a vegetable stayed in the American mind and so we have it in culinary terms.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I've just come across some really old printed literature that my late Grannie had in her recipe book and folder and in there, from 65-70 years ago are a whole load of recipes. One of which refers to avocados as "avocado pears". They were also known as "alligator pears" as well.

I think I may do a thread on them

 

[Rosyrain]

Oh yes, avocados, I always forget that they are classified as a fruit too. A rather strange fruit as the flesh is creamy and butter like. I have developed quite a taste for avocados in the last couple years and use them much more than I did in the past.

I never knew that Americans considered tomatoes a veggie because of the Supreme Court. Leave it to our government to try and take our hard earned money and confuse us all in the process.