We’d like to think we know which foods are fruits and which are vegetables without thinking about it too much—but sometimes it can be hard to draw a line between these two categories. Botanically speaking, fruits are always the same part of the plant, while vegetables can be many things, such as leaves, roots, and other variations. With this in mind, it may shock you to learn that some foods that you thought were vegetables are actually fruits—at least if you ask the botanists.
Corn
Each corn kernel can be called a single fruit. Surprising, right? Corn is also a grain, which tells us that some fruits can also be categorized as grains.
Cucumber
With the way it grows, cucumber is nearly identical to watermelon, and it’s also technically a fruit. Since it doesn’t have a sweet taste, we use it as a vegetable and make salads out of it. But isn’t it funny to think of pickles as a fruit salad?
Tomato
Would you eat tomatoes like fruit? You probably won’t, and yet that’s what they are. Don’t worry, you can still use them to make delicious salads and sauces even after learning the truth about their origin. We have a feeling that adding diced tomatoes into your fruit bowl won’t give you a satisfying result.
