Veggies You Never Knew Were Actually Fruits

The official definition of a fruit per the Oxford dictionary is “the sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant that contains seed and can be eaten as food”. So, you may be surprised to learn some foods that you always thought of as vegetables are actually Fruits!

Avocado

Family: Lauraceae. Genus: Persea

Because they’re green, many people mistake avocados for vegetables. Not only are they actually fruit, but they’re specifically berries, due to their fleshy endocarp and single seed. Endocarp Definition: the innermost layer of the pericarp which surrounds a seed in a fruit. It may be membranous (as in apples) or woody (as in the stone of a peach or cherry).

Beans & Peas

Family: Fabaceae Genus: Phaseolus

Just like peas, beans are a member of the legume family — they’re seeds that come in pods, and that makes them fruit.

Bell Peppers and Chili Peppers

Family: Solanaceae Genus: Capsicum

Peppers are classified as fruit because they contain tiny seeds in the middle and grow from the flower of the pepper plant

Corn

Family: poaceae Genus: Zea L

This is a strange one, as technically you could classify corn as a grain, a vegetable, and a fruit. Each corn kernel is an ovary that contains a single seed. Since the ovary wall is directly fused to the layer surrounding that seed, it lacks the fleshy middle and dries out easily. These fruits are known as caryopses, or grains. So, yes, a fruit can also be a grain.

Cucumbers

Family: Cucuribitaceae Genus: Cucumis L

Cucumbers are fruit in the Cucurbitaceae family of plants, which also includes watermelon and cantaloupe (among others). This means, botanically speaking, those dill pickles you love (or love to hate) are actually pickled fruit

Eggplant

Family: Solanaceae Genus: Solanum

Fleshy exterior? Check. Seeded interior? Check. Eggplants are indeed fruits, even though they are often mistaken for—and treated as—vegetables. In fact, they’re actually another surprise member of the berry family!

Okra

Family: Malvaceae Genus: Abelmoschus Medik

Okra develops from the ovary of the flower and contains the seeds the plant needs to reproduce into future generations

It is also from the flowering mallow family

Olives

Family: Oleaceae Genus: Olea L

Olives look kind of like grapes, which makes sense because both are fruits—but different kinds of fruits. Grapes are berries, but olives are stone fruits (or “drupes”) like peaches, plums, and mangoes. In fact, the closest relative to an olive might be its stone fruit counterpart: the cherry

Pumpkins & Squash

Family: Cucurbitaceae Genus: Cucurbita

Not only do squash contain seeds and grow from flowering plants making them fruits, but they can also sprout their own flowers—called squash blossoms—that are edible!

Tomatoes

Family: Solanaceae Genus: Solanum

This seed-bearing food is a fruit, much to the surprise of many. Tomatoes are also in the Solanaceae nightshade family, are a solid source of umami flavor, and contain antioxidants, including lycopene.

Zucchini

Family: Cucurbitaceae Genus: Cucurbita

Even zucchini is botanically a fruit! Like its squash relatives, zucchini grows from a seed and produces seeds, and thus is a fruit.

Look at that: we had surprising fruits throughout the alphabet, from avocado to zucchini.

#veggies #vegetables