When it comes to pears or bananas, everyone knows without question that they are fruit. But what are cucumbers – fruit or vegetables? What characteristics distinguish each category? What is the difference between fruits and vegetables and what do cucumbers belong to? Botanically speaking, as food or the answer from the kitchen
Are cucumbers a fruit or a vegetable?
Are cucumbers fruit or vegetables? Botanically speaking, cucumbers are fruit because they grow from a fertilized flower. But from a food perspective, they count as vegetables because they are annual plants and have no fruit sweetness. So cucumbers can be called fruit vegetables.
Cucumbers – fruit or vegetables – what makes the difference?
The fact is: As versatile as cucumbers are, the properties that differentiate between fruits and vegetables are just as one-sided. Depending on whether you look at it from the perspective of botany or food:
Botanically growing
Fruit from a fertilized flowerVegetables from other parts of the plant
Food comes from
Fruits from perennial plantsVegetables from annual plants onwards
Cucumbers – the fruit vegetable or the vegetable fruit?
But according to this definition, the answer remains ambiguous. Whether cucumbers are in a container or in a greenhouse, like pumpkins and tomatoes, they grow from a flower and are therefore part of the fruit. But as an annual plant and because of the lack of sweetness in the fruit, they are classified as vegetables according to the food definition.
The answer to the question: What are cucumbers? Cucumbers are a fruit vegetable
Tips & Tricks
Answer from the kitchen: Fruit can usually be eaten raw. Vegetables are more likely to be steamed or boiled. Ripe fruit is soft, but vegetables are difficult to chew. When we think of vegetables we think of starters and of fruits we think of desserts. Fruits or vegetables? The main thing is delicious cucumbers from the garden.
