Poll of the Day > What is even the point of distinguishing fruits and vegetables?

(+) Yeah! (+)

From a culinary standpoint, that is.

So many of the things we call "vegetables" are actually fruits. People assume the debate is just centered around tomatoes, but that's not the case. Peppers, avocados, cucumbers, olives, CORN!??

All of those are technically fruits! A PICKLE IS A FRUIT. What is the point of distuinguishing fruits and vegetables when it comes to food?

https://i.imgur.com/aovWW7Z.jpg

LeetCheet posted...

https://i.imgur.com/aovWW7Z.jpg

LOL!

THEGODDAMNBATMA posted...

From a culinary standpoint, that is.

So many of the things we call "vegetables" are actually fruits. People assume the debate is just centered around tomatoes, but that's not the case. Peppers, avocados, cucumbers, olives, CORN!??

All of those are technically fruits! A PICKLE IS A FRUIT. What is the point of distuinguishing fruits and vegetables when it comes to food?

A pickle is a pickle. Are picked eggs fruit?

Revelation34 posted...

A pickle is a pickle. Are picked eggs fruit?

They're pickles.

A pumpkin is also a berry

That said, I was thinking about this the other day

"Soil foods"

Isn't the culinary term "vegetable" just "not sweet plant"?

You want a plant that's sweet -- fruit. Everything else -- vegetable.
Personally I wouldn't mind adding descriptors to everything -- sweet, sour, salty, savory, wet, crispy, mushy, and who knows how many more -- but that's just overly wordy (and possibly overly English).

Also, yes, lemons are sweet (under all that acidity). Just like durian (under all that rot).

LinkPizza posted...

A pumpkin is also a berry

Read on Dhalsimrocks' Food Board that avocado is technically a berry.

From a culinary point, it's about how you cook and handle the food.
From a science view, it's for your health -Steve Brule

_Kaz posted...

Isn't the culinary term "vegetable" just "not sweet plant"?

You want a plant that's sweet -- fruit. Everything else -- vegetable.
Personally I wouldn't mind adding descriptors to everything -- sweet, sour, salty, savory, wet, crispy, mushy, and who knows how many more -- but that's just overly wordy (and possibly overly English).

Also, yes, lemons are sweet (under all that acidity). Just like durian (under all that rot).

Read on Dhalsimrocks' Food Board that avocado is technically a berry.

Lemons are sour unless it's the Meyer lemon.

Egg salad is still basically chicken salad.

THEGODDAMNBATMA posted...

From a culinary standpoint, that is.

So many of the things we call "vegetables" are actually fruits. People assume the debate is just centered around tomatoes, but that's not the case. Peppers, avocados, cucumbers, olives, CORN!??

From a culinary standpoint, the point of differentiating is because fruits and vegetables have different flavor profiles and tend to be cooked in different ways as different parts of a meal.

From a strict scientific standpoint, the differentiation between the two helps you understand how the plant grows and why it grows the way it does.

So a scientist will say that a tomato is a fruit because of how it grows and its function in plant reproduction, but a cook will say it's a vegetable because of how it tastes, how you eat it, and what sort of dishes you cook with it - and which definition is more useful depends on why you're asking the question.

If anything, the real problem is that science chose to use terminology that already had thousands of years worth of established assumptions and expectations that ran counter to the scientific nature of things, so if anything, science is the one that's wrong.

So fuck you, a tomato's a vegetable.

Revelation34 posted...

Lemons are sour unless it's the Meyer lemon.

Citrus fruits are crazy. There are basically three main ancestors of all modern citrus fruits: mandarins, pomelos, and citrons. Various hybids of these three species created oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, etc.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/2/3/AAQwHjAADJJz.jpg

captpackrat posted...

Citrus fruits are crazy. There are basically three main ancestors of all modern citrus fruits: mandarins, pomelos, and citrons. Various hybids of these three species created oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, etc.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/2/3/AAQwHjAADJJz.jpg

There are probably a lot of lost ones too. Reminds me of this one apple variety where somebody went looking for it because it was just in historical records. The guy found only one tree left and it was set to be cut down later that week. I'm going off memories. Can't find the name again.

_Kaz posted...

Isn't the culinary term "vegetable" just "not sweet plant"?

You want a plant that's sweet -- fruit. Everything else -- vegetable.

So you're saying sweet potatoes are fruit and unripe fruit are vegetables?

I would just like to say people, in general, like things to be as simple as possible.

A King Cobra is technically not a member of the cobra family

ParanoidObsessive posted...

If anything, the real problem is that science chose to use terminology that already had thousands of years worth of established assumptions and expectations that ran counter to the scientific nature of things, so if anything, science is the one that's wrong.

almost agree, but I'm pretty sure that "fruit" meaning "(plant) offspring" is a lot older than "fruit" meaning "sweet plant" (if "fruit" has ever meant that...).

Sahuagin posted...

almost agree, but I'm pretty sure that "fruit" meaning "(plant) offspring" is a lot older than "fruit" meaning "sweet plant" (if "fruit" has ever meant that...).

It's not.. The English word traces back through Latin, and in Latin it basically meant "something satisfying".

Vegetable, on the other hand, comes from "something that grows".

Basically, "cooking and eating food" existed as a concept looong before the science of botany. And that's generally reflected in language. And the original differentiation between fruit and vegetable was originally mostly just separating the sweet and enjoyable edible plants from the ones that were edible and sustaining still but not quite as delicious.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

It's not.. The English word traces back through Latin, and in Latin it basically meant "something satisfying".

it's meanings in Latin include "enjoyment" but also includes "produce", "profits", etc.; I would say it basically means "satisfying result of work", or "the positive end result of actions taken". it was used for all output of farming as a whole, including vegetables. it's not about being sweet, it's about being the desired output of labour. "the fruits of hard work" kind of thing.