Why is a tomato classed as a fruit when we treat it like a vegetable?

@MartinII Apparently so.

@MartinII Botanically, a fruit is a ripened flower ovary and contains seeds. Tomatoes, plums, zucchinis, and melons are all edible fruits.

@helenS I’m sure you are right, but that’s a bit esoteric for me. I have always regarded the tomato as a vegetable. Also some people think they are poisonous.

@MartinII If they are poisonous, how come tomato soup and ketchup are still eaten by millions (me included)?

@MartinII I understood that tomatoes are nightshades, just like potatoes, and the [u]unripe[/u] fruit is not very healthy.

@Crazychick As Helen has explained, they come from the same family as deadly nightshade. Of course they are not really poisonous, though I do know a naturopath who thinks they, and potatoes, can be toxic. I’m not sure how many real tomatoes there are in ketchup,but that’s a separate question!

@MartinII Ketchup is mainly sugar syrup, spiced up with some tomatoes.