These Vegetables Are Technically Fruits

Find out which vegetables are actually fruits.

Fruits are mostly sweet, while vegetables tend to be more savoury. This is the difference between the two in the culinary world. The botanical definition of a vegetable is also general as it can pretty much be any edible part of a plant, like flower buds and roots. Meanwhile, the word fruit refers to only one part of a plant. You may just notice that certain vegetarian dishes and salads may have more fruits in them than you realise, according to experts. Here are some "vegetables" that are actually fruit in the technical sense.

1 Avocado

Avocados are delicious and very nutritious. It is also a fruit, which is made up of a three-layer pericarp that surrounds a single seed. The pericarp is comprised of exocarp, which is the peel. It also features a mesocarp, an edible flesh, and the endocarp, which is a layer that protects the seed. There is more than one way to enjoy a good quality avocado, especially during the summer season.

2 Corn

You may be confused as to why corn is on the list. This is because each and every corn kernel is actually an ovary that contains just one seed. These kinds of fruits are known as caryopses. You can also call them grains. Not many know that fruits can also be termed a grain.

3 Cucumbers

Cucumbers are one of those food items you will often find in salads or sandwiches. They are also considered to be a fruit in the technical sense. Cucumbers are part of the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe.

4 Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the most common fruits that get mistaken for a vegetable. It comes from the Solanaceae family. This is so common in many kitchens across the globe. However, many consider this to be a vegetable.

5 Pumpkins

Pumpkins have all the makings of fruits. They comprise of rinds and seeds. They are also extremely fleshy on the inside and are a close relative of cucumbers as they are a type of squash.

6 Eggplants

Eggplants are cooked in so many ways. You can put them in curries or fry them in oil.  It is easy to get this one confused. However, eggplants are part of the Solanaceae family. They are fleshy fruits that bear seeds. They grow from the flowers of the Solanum melongena plant.