9 fruits that masquerade as vegetables

A fruit is the sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant that contains seed and can be eaten as food. Vegetables on the other hand come from the leaves, roots and stems – but not the fruit that emerges from the flower.

Here are fruits that always masquerade as vegetables. Go ahead; get shocked.

French beans

French beans, also referred to as green beans are the first on the list. Had to believe that they are fruits, but here we are. They are born from the flower of a bean plant and eaten as young pods with immature beans inside. They can be steamed, sautéed or even eaten raw in some cultures. If french beans are left to mature, then they turn into high-protein, hard beans.

French Beans Pulse

Maize

Shocking, right? Well, maize is also a fruit. Each tiny ‘grain’ on the ear of maize is indeed a fruit because it has a seed inside it, Maize is typically yellow, although it also comes in white, blue, red and a mixture of all.

Maize Pulse

Eggplant

If they ask you to name 10 vegetables, high chances that you will names eggplant among the list. But you'd be wrong, nonetheless. Eggplant is also a fruit. Most commonly known for it’s dark, purple ‘aubergine’ colour, it comes in many different varieties, shapes and shades.

Eggplant Pulse

Pumpkin

Pumpkin is part of the cucurbit family (which includes pumpkin, winter squash, summer squash, courgette/zucchini, cucumber, gherkin and melon), with a myriad of different varieties and properties. These ‘fruits’ grow from the flowers of a vine-like plant, that either trails along the ground or is trained up a trellis.

Pumpkins Pulse

Bell peppers

Commonly classified and used as vegetables, bell peppers are actually fruits. The seeds of bell peppers are very promptly visible, and thus there is no doubt that this commonly used ‘vegetable’ is actually a fruit.

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Okra

You know how you list green peas and ladyfingers when asked to name all the green vegetables. Well, you were wrong the whole time. Green peas pods are actually seeds developed from the flowering plant and hence qualify as fruits. Similarly, if you notice carefully, the centre of okra also contains a good amount of seeds, thus making it fruit and not a vegetable. Isn't it true that we learn something new every day?

Okra Pulse

Watermelon

Okay, this one is confusing. We all know that watermelon is a fruit, right? Well, yes it is. However, here is the catch. Although technically a fruit, some consider the watermelon to be a vegetable. This food item is actually grown using typical vegetable production methods and is cultivated as a vegetable. However, botanically, watermelon remains a fruit. At least we were all right about this one.

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Cucumber

What kind of fruit is cucumber, really? But apparently, it is. It is part of the cucurbit family just like pumpkins. It is probably the most shocking of the lot. Some are tough and bitter and others are soft skinned and gently sweet.

Cucumber Pulse

Tomatoes

The tomato is usually bundled together with vegetables, but it is most certainly a fruit – a very popular one at that. Few people around the world can claim that they don't eat tomatoes on a daily basis. The problem is they think they are eating a vegetable.

This delightful fruit originally started out as a bitter fruit aeons ago, growing wild in the coastal desserts of South America. Over the years, more sweeter varieties evolved and were favoured, becoming the tomatoes we know today. These days they grow all over the world in a variety of colours and sizes.