Randumb Editorial - by Brad

When I was in high school, I worked in the produce department at Top Foods. In the evenings when things got slow, I would read books about produce... yes, I am that cool. One of the most interesting facts I read was about the tomato.

You have heard it asked, "is a tomato a fruit or vegetable?"

Many of us probably learned in elementary school that a tomato is really a fruit, not a vegetable. Well, well, Mrs. Elementary School Teacher, it's actually BOTH!

"Fruit" is a botanical term for the part of the plant that contains a seed (such is a tomato). Whereas "vegetable" has no botanical or scientific meaning, rather it's a culinary term.

The US Supreme Court even weighed in on this. The Tariff Act of 1883 placed a tariff on the importing of vegetables, but not on fruits. In 1893, the Court decided that when comparing the common terms "fruit" and "vegetable," a tomato is a vegetable.

I am not sure why everyone focuses on the tomato for this argument because the pea, egg plant, squash, cucumber, and pepper also fall under the same problematic terminology.

I have also heard it said, "avoid fruits, vegetables and nuts... after all you are what you eat!"