You might be surprised to find out that a green pepper is actually considered a fruit, and not a vegetable.
The green pepper is a type of fruit called a “pepo .” Peppers grow from the pepo genus of plants. The word “pepo” comes from Latin and means “fruit with a seed inside.”
In addition to green bell peppers, other types of peppers include yellow squash, cucumbers, melons, and squashes.
Peppers are fruits because they have seeds inside them. Fruit is defined as the part of a flowering plant that contains the seeds.
A vegetable is any part of a plant that’s edible or used as an ingredient in cooking–like corn or carrots. Since green peppers are fruits and not vegetables, we can’t use them in recipes like soups or salads.
Many people believe that green peppers are vegetables, but this is not true. According to the definition of a fruit that most people use, green peppers are fruits.
A fruit is defined as the part of an angiosperm plant that bears seeds and develops from the ovary after flowering. The pepper (also called “the pod”) develops from the flower of the plant, so it fits this definition.
Green pepper is technically the fruit of the plant, whereas bell pepper is actually referring to cultivars (plants that are selectively bred).
The true definition of a fruit is the ovary of a flowering plant containing one or more seeds. Despite this common belief that green peppers are vegetables, they are actually fruits.
Fruit Definition
The seed-bearing structure in angiosperm plants formed from the ovary after flowering.
What makes something a fruit?
Fruits contain seeds that remain within the pulp around the seeds. The seeds are fertilized by pollen from flowers of other plants and so fruits grow on plants with flowers.
These plants have been cultivated for centuries, providing not only many nutritional benefits but also a basis for modern agricultural methods.
Vegetable classification
| Bulbs | Usually grow just below the surface of the ground and produce a fleshy, leafy shoot above the ground. Bulbs usually consist of layers or clustered segments. | e.g. fennel, garlic, leek, onion, shallot, spring onion |
| Flowers | The edible flowers of certain vegetables | e.g. artichoke (globe), broccoflower, cauliflower, broccoli, choi sum, courgette or other squash flowers, gai lan (Chinese sprouting broccoli) |
| Fruits | Vegetable fruit are fleshy and contain seeds | e.g. bitter melon, capsicum, chilli, choko, courgette, cucumber, eggplant, fuzzy melon, Indian marrow, marrow, plantain, pumpkin and squash, scallopini, tindora, tomatillo, tomato, turia (ribbed gourd) |
| Fungi | When referring to vegetables, fungi are commonly known as mushrooms. | button white, Swiss brown, cup (opened not flat), enoki, oyster, Portabello (brown flat or cup), shiitake, truffle – black and white |
| Leaves | The edible leaves of plants | bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, lettuce, ong choi, puha, radicchio, silverbeet, sorrel, spinach, tat soi, tung ho, watercress, witloof, wong nga baak (Peking cabbage) |
| Roots | Usually a long or round-shaped taproot. | beetroot, carrot, celeriac, daikon, parsnip, radish, swede, turnip |
| Seeds | (Legumes) apart from sweet corn, seeds grow in pods which are sometimes eaten along with the seed. | bean (green, French, butter, snake), broad bean, pea, snow pea, sweet corn |
| Stems | The edible stalks of plants when the stalk is the main part of the vegetable | asparagus, celery, kohlrabi |
| Tubers | Vegetables that grow underground on the root of a plant | earth gem, Jerusalem artichoke, kūmara, potato, yam |
Green Peppers Definition
A pepper (also called “the pod”) develops from the flower of the plant and contains multiple seeds. Also varies in color depending on how ripe it is; when unripe, it’s solid colors like green or yellow (although some varieties grow directly on the ground), but when ripe, red streaks appear through it.
Green peppers are a fruit because They develop from the flower and contain multiple seeds. They vary in color depending on how ripe they are; when unripe, they’re solid colors like green or yellow, but when ripe, red streaks appear through them.
The true definition for fruit is the ovary of a flowering plant containing one or more seeds. For this reason, green peppers are fruits as well as vegetables.
To deepen our understanding further, botanically speaking, a fruit is the mature ovary of a seed-bearing plant along with its seeds while a vegetable may refer to any part of a plant, including leaves, stems, and roots in addition to fruits in some cases.
Hence for this question, whether green pepper is considered a fruit or vegetable depends on how you define fruit in general terms. However, most people would consider green peppers to be vegetables while most people would consider bell peppers (or any other color of wax pepper) to be fruits.
One consideration though, is that the terms “fruit” and “vegetable” do not exist in botanical terms; they are simply common classifications used by farmers, consumers, and within scientific areas referring to plants. So really it’s up to personal preference on how you classify them.
Many of us learn that vegetables and fruits are synonymous and interchangeable terms. However, they truly do differ from each other in distinct ways:
- A fruit is the ripened ovary of a plant with seeds inside it, for example, an apple or strawberry.
- On the other hand, vegetables are parts of plants we eat such as eggplants or cucumbers.
- Many people believe that green peppers fall under the category of vegetables because they grow on vines and contain seeds. Green peppers also look similar to some varieties of hot peppers plants which belong to the nightshade family Solanaceae – native to tropical South America and Central America.
- Green peppers are part of the capsicum family and contain a fruit, which starts out green and then changes color as it ripens and becomes red pepper or yellow pepper. The fruit is also known as an unripe pepper berry, where it continues to mature until very ripe.
- The reason for this confusion is because green peppers belong to the same genus (Capsicum) as chili peppers and bell peppers, but they are different kinds of fruits.
- You can definitely consider green peppers a fruit; however, you should keep in mind that botanically speaking they’re technically considered a fruit because they’re the ripened ovary of a plant with seeds inside.
A Green Pepper Is Actually The Fruit Of The Plant
When talking about fruits and vegetables, there are clear distinctions between the two words which define certain features of them. While green peppers are technically fruits, they cannot be considered vegetables because part of their definition as fruit is that it contains seeds inside it – however green peppers do not contain seeds.
As such green peppers can be considered to be similar to a vegetable, but not a full-on vegetable.
A fruit is defined as the reproductive body of a seed plant formed from a flower containing one or more ovaries, together with accessory structures. As such it does not contain seeds and cannot be properly classified as a vegetable.
Many fruits also contain a lot of water in order to help their seeds survive. In the case of green peppers, they are about 92% water by weight.
Since vegetables contain so much less water than fruits, it tends to be harder for them to grow and spread their seed. This suggests that green pepper is actually a fruit, even though it looks like a vegetable.
The Difference Between A Green Pepper And Other Fruits
In most cases, fruits are used for human consumption because they taste good with other foods and can often enhance the flavor of recipes. They make an interesting taste when added to meals and provide nutritious supplements too. Vegetables may also be eaten either fresh or cooked.
However, fruits are normally considered to be sweeter than vegetables which have to be cooked first before they become edible because of their tough outer layer.
Fruits also tend to come in specific shapes and sizes, whereas vegetables can be found in an array of different forms. Vegetables often have a particular texture that distinguishes them from fruits. Fruit is considered to be the ripened ovary of a flowering plant, whereas vegetables are defined as any other edible plant matter including roots or tubers.
Fruit tends to grow on trees while most vegetables do not grow on trees but rather on the ground level. For example, potatoes are root vegetables that grow under the soil which makes them different from fruits like apples that grow on tree branches above the surface of the earth.
Green peppers are usually attached to stalks on their stems like other types of peppers (although some varieties grow directly on the ground). They also vary in color depending on how ripe they are; when they’re unripe, they’re solid colors like green or yellow, but when they’re ripe, red streaks appear through them.
Fruits, especially edible ones, are often thought of as sweet. Green peppers, however, can be hotter than other varieties because they contain more vitamin C.
If you’re wondering why green pepper is so hotly contested, it’s because of its nutritional value. Fruits are more nutritious than vegetables because they provide small amounts of fiber, vitamin C (which is important in protecting cells from damage), and potassium.
While vegetables contain so much less water than fruits, it tends to be harder for them to grow and spread their seed. This suggests that green pepper is actually a fruit, even though it looks like a vegetable.
Green peppers can be considered vegetables because they are not sweet like fruits nor do they have seeds inside. They may be seasoned and eaten raw or cooked but their primary use is as ingredients in dishes rather than being a stand-alone dish themselves. Some examples of vegetables include corn, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, cabbage, and potatoes.
Summary
The seed-bearing structure in angiosperm plants formed from the ovary after flowering is what makes something a fruit by definition.
Green peppers fit this definition because they develop from the flower and contain multiple seeds (they are not one seed).
They also vary in color depending on how ripe they are. Green peppers are fruits because the true definition for fruit is the ovary of a flowering plant containing multiple seeds, which green peppers fit because they develop from the flower and contain multiple seeds (they are not one seed).
Green pepper varieties growing directly on the ground instead of needing to be attached to stalks like other types of peppers do not alter this fact; fruits can sometimes grow directly on plants like pineapples instead of needing stems like bananas. For these reasons, green peppers are fruits as well as vegetables.