The Classification Mix-up!

byRukmini Das

Have you ever wondered why some fruits are called vegetables and some berries aren’t really berries at all? It can be quite confusing! The way scientists classify (or group) fruits and vegetables is different from how we usually think about them in our kitchens. Let’s take a closer look at why bananas are true berries, why strawberries aren’t really berries and why something like a zucchini is actually a fruit—even though most people call it a vegetable when they cook.

What Makes a Fruit a Fruit? In science, a fruit is the part of a plant that grows from a flower and contains seeds. This might sound a bit strange because we use the word ‘fruit’ to talk about sweet things like apples, peaches or oranges. But from a botanical (plant science) point of view, bell