What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?
From the botanist's point of view, a fruit is the ovary of the plant - that is, the section of the plant that houses the seeds. By that definition, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, and pumpkins are fruits. Except for seeds and spices, the other edible parts of the plant are classified as vegetables.
In the lingo of cooks, produce merchants, and officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a plant food is a vegetable if you usually eat it as part of a meal's main course, and a fruit if you normally enjoy it as a dessert or as a sweet between-meal snack. By these guidelines, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, and pumpkins are vegetables. But unless you are a botanist, it is suggested that you either opt for the common usage or call the foods in question "fruit-vegetables".
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