One of the big questions, or headaches, of all time: Is a tomato a fruit or vegetable?

If I had a dime for every time this question comes up, my trouser pockets would rip, or I'd have sore shoulders.

This isn't one of those great philosophical questions such as, is there a God? Do we all see colors the same? Or did O.J. really do it?

The issue isn't black and white, which is what confuses people. Usually by the time people with any semblance of knowledge are done, they have mixed apples and oranges, or more correctly, tomatoes and oranges.

To confound the issue even more, the U.S. Supreme Court has even ruled on the issue. You'll have to keep reading to the end (or skip to the last paragraph) to find their wise answer. Remember, this was the Supreme Court of the 1890s, when they pondered deep issues like whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable, and not presidential elections or prayer in schools.

Okay, to start the debate we have to lay some groundwork. And that groundwork brings up the issue of botany and horticulture.

Botany is the scientific study of plants. Its almost as absolute as two plus two equaling four. Horticulture is the art and science of growing plants. I tend to think of it more as an art than a science, since it's easy to tell someone how to grow something, but getting it done is about as easy painting a duplicate of the Sistine Chapel.

There are two basic camps, botanists and horticulturists. Botanists have clean fingernails. Horticulturists wonder what their fingernails would look like if they weren't dirty and cracked.

Since botany is a science, its definitions tend to be more rigid. Botanists define a fruit as a ripened ovary containing a seed or seeds. Usually it's seeds. Some will go as far as saying the ovary should be fleshy. This separates fruits from nuts. So, by the botanists' definition, tomatoes, raspberries, apples, green peppers, eggplants, pears and oranges are all fruits. Strawberries are, also, though they throw everything for a loop by having the seeds surround the ripened ovary instead of the other way around. Botany is exact with exceptions.

Botanists stop there and don't define "vegetable." They'll give you a definition of "vegetative," which is essentially green plant parts such as stems and leaves. But no "vegetable."

Horticulturists, being different by nature and less white-coated, developed their own definitions of fruits and vegetables. This, of course, upsets the botanists.

Fruits tend to be perennial, coming back year after year. They tend to be on upright woody plants such as trees, shrubs or brambles. Of course, strawberries again don't fit into the category. Most fruits are used for desserts.

Vegetables are annuals and need to be planted every year. They tend to be non-woody and are seldom made into pies, tarts or cakes. Of course, there are exceptions. Asparagus and rhubarb are both perennial vegetables and the latter is used like a fruit. So are watermelon and cantaloupe. But horticulturists revel in the fact that we aren't exact.

Tomatoes fit the vegetable category. They are planted every year. We use them in salads and, well, vegetable dishes during the main meal. I haven't had a tomato cake or pie and frankly, don't care if I ever do.

So, that's the foundation. Botanically, the tomato that you eat is the fruit of the plant, sort of like you were the fruit of your mother's womb. Botanically it IS a fruit. But remember, so is a cucumber, green bean pod, pumpkin and zucchini. Most of us probably wouldn't make a fuss over whether a green bean or cucumber is a fruit or vegetable. Common sense says they are a vegetable.

The legal issue came to a head when the New York port collector charged duty on tomatoes from the West Indies. Vegetables were subjected to import duty back in the 1880s, and fruits were not.

Finally in 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court, in an easy-to-read and understand opinion that runs less than two pages, evokeda the same common sense and the use of the public's common language, and affirmed that tomatoes are a vegetable and subject to import taxes.

David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, University of Illinois Extension. YOU can write to Robson in care of Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708. Telephone: (217) 782-6515. E-Mail: robsond@mail.aces.uiuc.edu

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