Here’s where it gets ironic. We, as a species, have decided that “fruit” means “sweet” and “vegetable” means “savory”. That’s it. That’s the whole rule for most of us. (Sorry, science.)
Think about it: we put strawberries on pancakes, but we put bell peppers in stir-fry. We mash bananas into bread, but we mash potatoes with butter. Nobody is putting a raw onion in a fruit salad. Ew.
This is why the avocado is such a rebel. It’s a fruit, it has a big seed, but it’s creamy and fatty and goes with lime and tacos. The avocado doesn’t care about your rules. It lives its best life on toast.
What is a Fruit? What is a Vegetable? - AgClassroomStore at USU
The Legal Loophole (Yes, Really)
You think it’s just a debate for bored cooks? Oh no. In 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court had to decide: Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? I am not joking. Look it up (Nix v. Hedden).
The court ruled that for trade and tax purposes, the tomato is a vegetable. Why? Because people eat it with dinner, not dessert. That’s it. The law literally ignored biology to keep things running smoothly at the grocery store.
So, now we have a system where the botanical definition says one thing, and the legal and culinary definition says another. It’s like the plant kingdom is running a con game, and we’re all just paying for the tickets.
