Is avocado fruit or vegetable?
Avocado (alligator pear or avocado pear) is one of the healthiest foods but many people might get confused if it is a fruit or a vegetable.
A lot of dishes feature avocados like salads while some people just enjoy it plain, as simple as it is. This food is rich in vitamins C, E, K, and B6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium.
So, is it a fruit or a vegetable? Before knowing the answer, the definitions of fruit and vegetable should be determined first.
Based on the article in Reader’s Digest, a botanical fruit must contain a seed and develop from the flower of a plant. However, any other part of the plant that can be eaten is called vegetables, like leaves, stems, and roots.
When it comes to cooking, how the item tastes is the main factor in identifying if it is a fruit or vegetable. Fruits have a sweet or tart flavor while vegetables have a savory taste and they are featured in side dishes or as the star of a main course.
However, bell pepper is an exception. It is technically a fruit because it contains seeds and grows from flowers. When it comes to cooking, it is considered a vegetable.
With this premise, is avocado a fruit or vegetable? From a botanical perspective, avocados develop from a flower, and with this, they are considered fruits. However, even though its characteristics are more on the fruit side, avocados are more often treated as vegetables in terms of how we eat them.
The United States Department of Agriculture stated that avocados are classified as vegetables due to their nutritional content and culinary use. They are not sweet but have a rich, nutty flavor. Even though avocados are fruits, it is not easy to follow this track because of how diverse they can be in different dishes. With this, the food can be both a fruit and a vegetable.
Meanwhile, if you love bananas, there are the right ways to prolong their shelf life.