The question of whether squash is a fruit or a vegetable has the potential to rock the very foundations of science. Here's why pumpkin meets the criteria for both categories -- how botanists still get the hang of it.

Clearly ambiguous - steadfast refusal to attribute

At the latest when home-grown pumpkin is to be incorporated into a balanced diet, the question arises: is pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable? So give me the scientific definitions to classify him correctly:

  • Definition of fruit: Fruits that arise from flowers of perennial plants, are eaten raw, and grow on trees or shrubs
  • Definition of vegetables: edible parts of once-bearing plants that are eaten cooked and grow on the ground

Cherries, pears and apples are therefore clearly fruit. There is also clarity with carrots, leeks or cauliflower. And pumpkin? The pulp is mostly eaten raw. However, a pumpkin thrives on an annual plant on the ground.

A final attempt at clear categorization is based on the type of consumption. We enjoy fruit with sugar, we prepare vegetables with salt and pepper. Honestly, pumpkin varieties like 'Little Sweetie' or 'Mandarin' with salt and pepper? - No thank you.

A Solomonic compromise: fruit vegetables

The scientists found a way out of the dilemma when they reconciled the botanical definition of fruit with the food definition of vegetables. The ingenious result is: fruit vegetables.

Since a pumpkin develops from a pollinated flower, it is a fruit according to the botanical definition. Since it is only cultivated for one year both in the bed and on the balcony, it counts as a vegetable according to the food definition - the logical conclusion: fruit vegetables.

And ornamental gourds? - Just no subtleties

With regard to ornamental gourds, the assignment then finally fails. This refers to pumpkin varieties with a high ornamental value that are inedible at the same time. Since they contain a harmful bitter substance, consumption causes severe nausea and stomach problems. From this point of view, they are probably more of a poisonous plant.

Ornamental gourds, on the other hand, more than make up for their inedibility with an enchanting to bizarre appearance. Varieties such as the cheerfully colorful 'Shenot Crowns' or 'Autumn Wing' with the long swan neck are undoubtedly worth growing in the garden.

With the cultivation of ornamental pumpkins, the hobby gardening is transformed into gardening art, which is celebrated with a lot of commitment. What does it matter that it is neither fruit nor vegetable?

tips and tricks

The two-pronged assignment of pumpkin to fruits and vegetables as a fruiting vegetable does not mean that the plant gets along with all members of both categories. A mixed culture with potatoes, dill or cucumbers is just as unfavorable as a neighborhood with melons. On the other hand, if you plant pumpkins with a ring of onions and peas, both cultures benefit from each other.

Category:

Vegetable garden