Why is cucumber a fruit and not a vegetable?

The botanical classification: Cucumbers are fruit. A botanical fruit would have at least one seed and grow from the flower of the plant. With this definition in mind, cucumbers are classified as fruit because they contain tiny seeds in the middle and grow from the flower of the cucumber plant.

What makes a vegetable a vegetable?

A vegetable is the edible portion of a plant. Vegetables are usually grouped according to the portion of the plant that is eaten such as leaves (lettuce), stem (celery), roots (carrot), tubers (potato), bulbs (onion) and flowers (broccoli). Then there are seeds such as peas which are also considered vegetables.

Why is tomato a fruit and not cucumber?

To a botanist, a fruit is an entity that develops from the fertilized ovary of a flower. This means that tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, corn kernels, and bean and pea pods are all fruits; so are apples, pears, peaches, apricots, melons and mangos.

Why is a tomato a fruit not a vegetable?

Tomatoes are botanically defined as fruits because they form from a flower and contain seeds. Still, they’re most often utilized like a vegetable in cooking. In fact, the US Supreme Court ruled in 1893 that the tomato should be classified as a vegetable on the basis of its culinary applications.

Is a cucumber a melon?

The Melon Family, Cucurbitaceae, is a plant family commonly known as melons, gourds or cucurbits and includes crops like cucumbers, squashes (including pumpkins), luffas, melons (including watermelons).

Is cucumber related to melon?

Cucumber, melon, and watermelon are originally from the Old World (primarily Africa and Asia). Although they are in the same family (Cucurbitaceae) with the squashes, pumpkins, and gourds (mostly of the genus Cucurbita ), they are only distantly related.

Are bananas a vegetable?

Did you know the fact that bananas are technically neither a fruit nor a vegetable? Although we generally call it a fruit, it is technically an herb. The banana plant an “herbaceous plant” (or ‘herb’), not a tree, because the stem does not contain true woody tissue.

Is a watermelon related to a cucumber?

Cucumber, melon, and watermelon are originally from the Old World (primarily Africa and Asia). Although they are in the same family (Cucurbitaceae) with the squashes, pumpkins, and gourds (mostly of the genus Cucurbita ), they are only distantly related. Together, plants in this family are called cucurbits.

Why is a cucumber considered a vegetable over a fruit?

The first and very important classification of a vegetable is that we can cook and eat it. This is a very true fact considering a Cucumber.

One thing that separates the cucumber from being considered as fruit is its obvious taste.

Next is the uses of cucumber.

Last but very unique consideration is the greenish color.

Are cucumbers considered a fruit or vegetable?

Botanically speaking, cucumbers are considered fruits, because they develop from a flower and contain seeds. So, by that definition, a cucumber is a fruit. Culinary. In terms of how people commonly prepare and consume cucumber, it is treated as a vegetable.

Is cucumber a natural or a hybrid vegetable?

Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) are classified as naturally occurring vegetables, but some cucumber varieties are hybrids. Cucumber plants likely originated in India and were introduced into China during the second century B.C. The first cucumber varieties are described as open-pollinated or standard cucumbers.

Is cucumber a negative calorie food?

Cucumber is also called a negative calorie food. Now when one says it is a negative calorie food, one doesn’t mean that cucumber has no calories. It is called so because digesting these negative calorie foods take up more calories than what they inherently contain. Hence, nullifying the calorie addition.