FACT: bell peppers, cucumbers, and green beans are all fruits

You’ve probably bumped into that guy at a party who loves to remind you that tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable. Heck, if you’re a fan of this blog, there’s a good chance you are that guy. Well now you can bring your A-game with this less commonly known identity crises; the bell pepper (aka: green pepper, red pepper, etc.), the cucumber, and green beans… all fruits.

The rule of thumb for sorting fruits from vegetables is pretty easy. Does it have seeds? Then it’s pretty much a fruit. Technically the “fruit” is really the fleshy part of the plant that contains or otherwise holds the seed. (usually on the inside, but a strawberry fruit has seeds on the outside)

On the other hand, a vegetable is defined a little more loosely and generally refers to an edible part of a plant, be it a leaf (lettuce), a stalk (celery), or a root (carrot).

Gee, I bet you can’t wait till your next dinner party!

• Source: http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutother/tomato

Related Facts

• FACT: The bananas we eat are all clones
• FACT: pumpkin pie is not made from any old pumpkin
• FACT: in the US a tomato is legally a vegetable for tax reasons