Is A Pickle A Fruit Or A Vegetable? (how to best classify it)

No, a pickle is not a fruit because fruits blossom and produce seeds.

In fact, a pickle may not always be seen as a fruit or vegetable because it’s more of an item that falls into the category of condiments. A pickle can be eaten with meals to add additional flavor.

A pickle is defined as being both a fruit and vegetable. It can also fall under the category of food item, condiment, produce, etc.  

A pickle is usually made out of cucumbers but other variations may include things like peppers or even fish or other types of meat in some cases. 

Some people will argue that because it contains vinegar then it should be considered something else entirely but there are many different ways to make a pickle while others do use vinegar for its purpose.  

The pickle is scientifically defined as an immature fruit of the gourd family Cucurbitaceae. It contains no seeds inside because by the time it’s ready to be preserved/pickled it has already aborted them. 

Regardless if they’re stored in vinegared brine or vinegar, both processes kill any bacteria and molds that would otherwise turn it into fermented mush and make the pickles safe for human consumption.

An article from the website Chompions states, “Fruits and vegetables are both grown in soil on vines. Pickles come from cucumbers which grow on plants and vines.”

Uncyclopedia (a parody of Wikipedia) says,”Despite common misconceptions, a pickle is not a fruit because it comes from a cucumber, which is plant matter; an orange, for example, would be considered a fruit.”

According to another article on Chompions: Implications , there is no such thing as a pickle vegetable because all veggies are fruits.

The article “What are Pickles?” on KidsHealth says that Pickles are vegetables because they come from a plant, have seeds and grow out of the ground which does not fit the definition of being classified as a fruit.   

The fact that Pickles grow underground is also pointed out on WebMD’s page “Are Pickles Fruits or Vegetables?” They agree with Bialecki in saying that Pickles are technically fruits but most people think of them as vegetables due to their typical use in salads or sandwiches.  

However, if you take into consideration that Pickles do grow under the ground they would most likely be considered to be vegetables. There is one more dictionary definition to consider when thinking about whether pickles are vegetables or fruits.  The definition for fruit in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is: 

1.  Usually sweet and fleshy product of a tree, shrub, vine, etc., grown for food 
2. The ripened reproductive body of a seed plant 
3. Something resembling a fruit especially in being fleshy and usually sweet and juicy or having an edible pulp 

So using this very general and broad definition, if we were to take into consideration that Pickles grow underneath the ground they would technically be classified as fruits by this third dictionary definition.   

However, since not everyone agrees with this definition either it leaves it up to interpretation on whether or not pickles can be classified as fruits or vegetables.

While botanically speaking, there are some who would argue that the term “fruit” refers only to seed-bearing structures , such as apples and oranges whereas other edible plant parts – such as Pickles and pumpkins – are referred to as “vegetables”. Such is the case with the United States Supreme Court which has ruled on this very topic.

What was involved in this case?

In the 1893 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Nix v. Hedden, it came down to whether tomatoes were vegetables or fruits for tariff purposes since they were subject to different rates of tax depending on which category they fell into. 

The Supreme Court ruled that tomatoes were vegetables because their usage was more akin to that of potatoes, carrots and other similar root crops than that of fruits such as apples and oranges which are generally served at dessert. It’s a matter of taste you might say.

So there you have it. According to a court ruling, a pickle is a vegetable because it falls into the same category as tomatoes. Botanically speaking though, the term “fruit” refers only to those plant structures that contain seeds – such as apples and oranges. 

In fact, pumpkins are berries but they’re still considered vegetables because fruits come from plants bearing seeds while vines produce cucumbers. If you plan on starting an argument with your Uncle Morris at Thanksgiving dinner then you might want to brush up on this stuff first.

In fact, you may not have been aware of this but pickles are cucumbers that have been preserved in spiced vinegar. At first glance, one might assume that a pickle is a fruit because vegetables come from plants which bear fruits and vines produce cucumbers. The answer to whether or not a pickle is a fruit or vegetable depends on how you define these terms.

Comparison Table Between Cucumber and Pickle

Is Pickle a fruit?

No! Fruits blossom and produce seeds. Pickles do not grow on trees and don’t contain any seeds. Thus, pickles cannot be fruits. Yes! First of all, vegetables are defined as “any plant (other than a cereal grain, fruit or flower) used for food” and do not blossom. 

And second of all, cucumbers are “fruits that have been cultivated to be eaten as vegetables.” The pickle is scientifically defined as an immature fruit of the gourd family Cucurbitaceae. It contains no seeds inside because by the time it’s ready to be preserved/pickled it has already aborted them. 

Regardless if they’re stored in vinegared brine or vinegar, both processes kill any bacteria and molds that would otherwise turn it into fermented mush and make the pickles safe for human consumption. 

While it looks like an apple from the outside, it’s still just a cucumber on the inside. I bet this question was asked by someone who’s never tasted one before. 

If you’ve ever had fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with cheese, you would know what I’m talking about. Now that we finally found the answer to this question, I’m going to go get pickles. 

The answer is yes. Since pickles are fruits that have been cultivated into vegetables, they can be both a fruit and a vegetable at the same time. This might be confusing because cucumbers aren’t round or plump enough to be called “pears,” while being too sweet to be called “cabbage.” 

Is Pickle a vegetable?

Yes! First of all, vegetables are defined as “any plant (other than a cereal grain, fruit or flower) used for food” and do not blossom. And second of all, cucumbers are “fruits that have been cultivated to be eaten as vegetables.” 

The pickle is scientifically defined as an immature fruit of the gourd family Cucurbitaceae. It contains no seeds inside because by the time it’s ready to be preserved/pickled it has already aborted them. 

Regardless if they’re stored in vinegared brine or vinegar, both processes kill any bacteria and molds that would otherwise turn it into fermented mush and make the pickles safe for human consumption. 

Is a pickle a fruit or a vegetable?

A pickle may be defined as either a fruit or a vegetable depending upon whether one considers the term “fruit” to refer only to seed-bearing structures (such as apples and oranges) or to all plant structures which serve as a source of food (such as pumpkins and cucumbers). 

The United States Supreme Court ruled that pickles were to be considered vegetables for tariff purposes since their usage was more akin to that of potatoes, carrots and other similar root crops rather than fruits such as apples and oranges which are generally served at dessert. 

Botanically speaking though, fruit refers only to those plant structures which contain seeds whereas vines produce cucumbers.

So what makes a fruit less healthy than a vegetable? Is this ruling arbitrary or has there been some scientific reasoning behind these sorts of decisions before? 

When reading about the history of fruits and vegetables you encounter many instances where different cultures have chosen to group items together despite differences in taste. 

For example, a tomato is both a fruit and a vegetable. And not all fruits are sweet–cantaloupes, cucumbers, eggplants and pumpkins are all fruits.

Source

In truth, the Supreme Court’s ruling wasn’t about the actual definition of “fruit” or “vegetable.” In fact, neither ketchup nor pickles would be considered healthy based on any sort of official guidelines. 

The decision was actually made in response to a law that would have forced public cafeterias to serve more fresh produce in general–a law intended to combat the US’s growing obesity problem.

When it comes to the question of whether or not a pickle is a fruit or vegetable, it’s best to just think of the word ‘pickle’ as being the entire entity rather than split in half. A pickle can be made out of either fruit or vegetables and are eaten by themselves or with meals. It also falls under other categories such as produce, condiments, etc.