Odd Question

[Acrylic-bob]

A friend asked me a question the other that really had me thinking, so I thought I would share it with you all and see what the consensus is.

The question is this, is a pea a fruit or a vegetable, and why is it one or the other?

[AccyStanFan]

i always though of it as a vegetable, cause of the little pods they come in. i know thats not an answer but just my thinkin

[AccyStanFan]

hmmm did a good ole search and found.

The noun "pea" has 3 senses in WordNet.

1. pea -- (seed of a pea plant)
2. pea -- (the fruit or seed of a pea plant)
3. pea, pea plant -- (a leguminous plant of the genus Pisum with small white flowers and long green pods containing edible green seeds)

then.

pea: a small round vegetable that comes from a pod.

who knows?

[Tealeaf]

I always thought a pea was a pulse, and hence a veg......I know a tomato is a fruit and not a veg...but what's an aubergine?

[lettie]

Mmmmm, good one. According to Collins English Dictionary a pea is a fruit. Got to admit, I'd never really thought about it before.

[Tealeaf]

well, what's a bean then?

[JohnW]

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting one in the fruit salad.

[Ceejache]

Definition of fruit - seed with its envelope esp. edible one. Seeing as peas (seeds) come in pods (envelopes) I would say fruit. I have always called them vegetables though...but if Collins English Dictionary says fruit then I have to concur.

[Caz]

Found this on a science site:

WHAT IS A FRUIT?
A fruit is the ripe ovary of a flower. There are four main groups of fruit;

• fruit with stones - e.g. plums, cherries, apricots, damsons, mangoes, peaches.
  
• soft or berry fruit - e.g. loganberrries, strawberries, blackberries, grapes, blackcurrants.
  
• hard fruit - e.g. apples, pears.
• citrus fruit - e.g. lemons, oranges, limes, mandarines, grapefruit, satsumas.

There are lots of different types of fruit that fall into none of these types - e.g banana, kiwi fruit, pineapple, melon.

WHAT IS A VEGETABLE?

Vegetables are edible plants. Some grow above the ground and the following parts are eaten;

• seeds and fruits - e.g. peas, beans, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, okra, aubergines.
  
• flowers - e.g. cauliflower and broccoli.
  
• leaves - e.g. cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, lettuce, spinach, mustard, cress, pak choi.
  
• shoots - e.g. bean sprouts, bamboo shoots.
  
• stems - e.g. celery, fennel, asparagus.

Some grow below the ground and the following parts are eaten;

• roots - turnips, swede, parsnips, carrots, beetroot, radishes.
  
• bulbs - onions, leeks.
  
• tubers - potatoes, yams.

Never heard of pak choi before - anyone had it?

[Acrylic-bob]

The last one seems to contradict itself by lumping fruits and seeds in with vegeatables.

I have found this explanation:-

" Anthony R. Brach, Ph.D.
================================================== ============
Botanically speaking, anything that bears seeds is a fruit. The fruit forms
from the reproductive part of the plant, i.e., the flower. The ovary of the
flower becomes the fruit and inside the seeds form. So a tomato comes from
the flower and inside are the seeds. So it is a fruit. A nut is a seed and
the shell is the fruit. Anything from a part of the plant that is not the
flower is vegetative, i.e., does not reproduce. So leaves, stems and roots
are vegetables. So lettuce, carrots and potatoes are vegetables."

[WillowTheWhisp]

Just to confuse things even more:- I did a quiz the other day where one of the questions was "Which part of the strawberry is the actual fruit?" and the answer was "the seed"

[Acrylic-bob]

That makes no sense at all. A Strawberry carries it's seeds on the outside of it's skin. Little yellowish brown things, you can't miss em.

[WillowTheWhisp]

That's what I thought. I get them stuck between my teeth, especially in strawberry jam.

[DOOM]

VEGETABLE OF COURSE! its green.

[Weary Tourist]

What do you guys make of this entry ?

To the best of my knowledge and research the definition of fruit is:
The ripened seed-bearing part of a plant when fleshy and edible.
In other words, a "fruit" is any fleshy material covering a seed or seeds. Most fruits, from a horticultural (science of cultivating) perspective, are grown on a woody plant, with the exception of strawberries.
Or you can say, generally a fruit is the edible part of the plant that contains the seeds. So your eggplant, tomato, cucumber and zucchini are fruits.


To the best of my knowledge and research definition of vegetable is:
A herbaceous (green and leaf like in appearance or texture) plant cultivated for an edible part, as roots, stems, leaves or flowers. Or you may say a vegetable is the edible stems, leaves, and roots of the plant.
Some people think rhubarb is a fruit, because it is used to make pies. But, rhubarb is a vegetable.