Of course we are all familiar with the tomato. This round red pulpy fruit is captivating the hearts of those who consume it. But do you know that tomato is not always red? Do you know that tomato is not always round? Or do you know whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable? Well, not that those questions are not answered, maybe then you have changed your mind about the level of knowledge on tomatoes and start to ask yourself a basic question on what is tomato?
Here are the explanations to answer questions on tomatoes. The tomatoes are edible and although often red, they are not always red. In fact, they are available in so many colors. The lighter ones include pink, orange, and yellow. As for the darker ones, they are available in black, purple and green. How is this possible? Well, the tomatoes are among the most diverse type of plants. They are also known as the red fruit or berry that belongs to the family of Solanum lycopersicum.
The tomato plans originated from the South American Andes. That is why the fruit is commonly used in Mexican dishes. Afterwards, they make their way to the rest of the world. Spain was among the first country that it visited and as it is the colonization of the America, so America came second after Spain. But this did not mean that the fruit was not available throughout Europe. Italy, for instance, was already familiar with the fruit for a long time. The proof could be seen on their traditional dishes. Most of the Italian dishes use tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Many people are confused to define tomatoes. Are they fruits or are they vegetables. These confusion started out because of the differences of usage in the world of culinary and science. The scientists use a tomato as fruit and therefore they define the tomato as a fruit. The scientists know that true fruits are being developed by the ovary which is located at the base of the flower and that this contains seeds.
On the other hand, when we talk about tomatoes in the concept of cooking, tomatoes and bean pods are considered as vegetables because of their usage. The tomatoes are often used in the savory dishes instead of the sweet ones. This is enough reason for tomatoes to be called vegetables. So, what is a tomato? It is technically a fruit but in the daily cooking uses, it is a vegetable. There is nothing wrong in calling the tomatoes either, depending on the concept.
