Vegetables don’t exist, according to botany

In kitchens, the term vegetable is pretty imperative, allowing plant matter to be categorised by sweet or savoury profiles. Taste doesn’t matter quite so much to botanists who label sections of plants according to the functions they serve. Take tomatoes, for example. We’ve all heard the claim that tomatoes are fruit. Botanically speaking, this is true.

See also: We went to Naples to discover what makes the best Neapolitan Pizza

Most plant structures containing seeds that develop from the ovary or ovaries of flowering plants are considered fruit. This certainly muddies the culinary dichotomy dividing edible plants by flavour. 

Some of the most common household vegetables aren’t vegetables at all. Here are just a few we were shocked to learn about: 

While we can’t think of any sweet uses for this one, eggplants are considered fruits. To be more specific, eggplants are berries. Like all fruits considered berries, eggplants are grown from one flower with a single ovary unlike some varieties grown from multiple flowers. Cucumbers, persimmons, and bananas are also botanically defined as berries. 

Neither a fruit nor leafy green, heads of broccoli are flowers. If you look closely at a head of broccoli, you’ll notice tiny green buds on each floret. If these buds are left to mature, they’ll blossom into a bouquet of bright yellow flowers, so every time you throw bits of broccoli into a stir fry, remember you’re actually eating hundreds of unopened flowers. 

Don’t miss: Kirthanaa Naidu on the art of tablescaping and how to elevate any dinner party

The plant world is full of mysteries and corn seems to be one of them. What we consider a relatively healthy staple of summer barbecues can be classified as a fruit or grain depending on when it has been harvested. When completely mature and dry, it’s a grain but when it is harvested while corn kernels and soft and juicy, it’s a fruit. 

Perhaps the most confusing entry on this list, olives are more closely related to plums and peaches than you may think. Because of the large pits in the centres of olives, these traditionally brined morsels are technically stone fruit. In botanical terms, they’re known as drupes—fruits with a hard seed surrounded by soft flesh. We doubt we’ll see these stone fruits turned into pie filling, though. 

NOW READ

Atelier Binchotan’s Ka Hong Lau and Celine Choong have just opened a new French bistro

Nobu Kuala Lumpur presents a global 30-year-anniversary omakase menu

6 new menus to try in Kuala Lumpur this October