The Tomato: Fruit or Vegetable? Is the tomato a fruit or
vegetable? It’s both … depending on your point of view. Here are
the facts we’ve dug up. Botanically, the tomato is a fruit
Scientists agree: a botanical ovary – a sac that contains egg
cells (seeds) – is classified as a fruit. The tomato perfectly
fits the scientific definition of a fruit. No way around it –
the tomato is a sac and those are seeds bursting out of the
crack its skin. Legally, the tomato is a vegetable So ruled the
U.S. Supreme Court in 1893. The case of Nix vs. Hedden (1893
raised the question of the tomato’s classification. - At the
time, tariffs were not charged on imported fruit – only on
imported vegetables. A whopping 10% was levied, designed to
protect the American farmer. - A tomato importer named John Nix
argued that a tomato was a fruit and therefore not subject to
vegetable import duties. (He was gunning to collect some back
taxes he paid under protest). - The court heard definitions of
“fruit” and “vegetable” and listened to