I don’t think bananas should count as a fruit. There’s no juice? And I’m not sure I would describe them as sweet? But it’s also def not a vegetable. So idk
imkhushi many things that we consider vegetables are technically fruits. if it’s got seeds, it’s likely a fruit broadly. But it seems there’s a difference between scientific and cooking terms:
”Many common language terms used for fruit and seeds differ from botanical classifications. For example, in botany, a fruit is a ripened ovary or carpel that contains seeds, e.g., an orange, pomegranate, tomato or a pumpkin. A nut is a type of fruit (and not a seed), and a seed is a ripened ovule.
In culinary language, a fruit is the sweet- or not sweet- (even sour-) tasting produce of a specific plant (e.g., a peach, pear or lemon); nuts are hard, oily, non-sweet plant produce in shells (hazelnut, acorn). Vegetables, so-called, typically are savory or non-sweet produce (zucchini, lettuce, broccoli, and tomato). but some may be sweet-tasting (sweet potato).”
lucius ty for the link! I’m confused why there’s even a need for scientific classifications that are different from culinary ones bc in what situation would you ever need those? do you think sweetness or texture is not concrete enough for science categorization? i feel like even in diff cultures everyone can agree that a mango is sweet and a Brussel sprout isnt so that’s weird right?
imkhushi i think scientific classification is more interested in similar behaviors, structures, and reproduction strategies. Flavor and texture is incidental. But for culinary culture, flavor and texture is all that matters. So we break things down into sweet and savory regardless of the biological detail.