Few questions cause as much confusion at the vegetable stand or in the kitchen as this one: is a tomato actually a fruit or a vegetable? The answer is surprisingly clear – but it depends on your point of view.
Botanically speaking: the tomato is a fruit
From a botanical standpoint, it's clear-cut: the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a fruit – more precisely, a berry. It develops from the plant's fertilised flower and contains the seeds. By this definition, cucumbers, peppers, courgettes and even chilli pods also count as fruit, not vegetables. Botanically, the tomato belongs in the same category as apples or berries.
Culinarily speaking: the tomato is a vegetable
In the kitchen, a different logic applies: a vegetable is anything savoury, typically used in salty dishes – fruit, by contrast, is sweet and usually eaten raw as a dessert or snack. Since tomatoes taste mildly tangy rather than sweet, and are mainly used in savoury dishes like sauces, salads or chilli con carne, they're clearly treated as a vegetable both culinarily and in everyday language.
Why the confusion? A court case settled it in 1893
The debate is so old it even ended up in court: in 1893, the US Supreme Court had to decide in the case Nix v. Hedden whether tomatoes should be taxed as fruit or as vegetables – tariffs differed between the two at the time. The court ruled in favour of the culinary classification as a vegetable, since that matched everyday usage. Botanically wrong, but still common practice today.
Are tomatoes healthy?
Yes, and considerably more than their mild flavour suggests. A fresh tomato has only around 18 kcal per 100 grams and is roughly 95% water – ideal for a light, low-calorie diet. At the same time, it provides vitamin C, potassium and, above all, lycopene, the plant compound that gives it its red colour and is considered a powerful antioxidant. Interestingly, the body absorbs more lycopene from cooked tomatoes – yet another reason tomato sauce isn't just tasty, but smart too.
Paradeiser, love apple & co. – how the tomato got its names
In Austria, the tomato has its very own name: "Paradeiser". Internationally, too, it carries evocative names: in Italian it's "pomodoro" (golden apple), in English simply "tomato" – derived from the Aztec "tomatl".
Discover tomato varieties at Tschida Tschili
Whether fruit-vegetable or botanical fruit: here in Illmitz, it's all about flavour and variety. In our tomato plants collection you'll find cocktail and cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, plum and paste tomatoes, and rare specialities for the garden, balcony or greenhouse. You can also read more about unusual varieties in our guides to black tomatoes or patio tomatoes.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Botanically, a tomato is a fruit (more precisely, a berry), because it develops from a flower and contains seeds. Culinarily and in everyday language, it counts as a vegetable, because it tastes savoury and is used in salty dishes.
- Why is the tomato still classed as a vegetable if it's botanically a fruit? Because culinary classification doesn't follow botany, but flavour and use. An 1893 US court ruling even enshrined this view legally (for customs purposes).
- How many calories does a tomato have? A fresh tomato has on average around 18 kcal per 100 grams and is roughly 95% water.
- What does "Paradeiser" mean? "Paradeiser" is the Austrian word for tomato.