Farmer's market showing vegetables for sale in Lhasa, Tibet

Fruit and vegetable output in 2004

The term "vegetable" generally refers to the edible part of a plant. The definition is traditional rather than scientific. It is somewhat arbitrary and subjective, as it is determined by individual cultural customs of cooking and food preparation. Vegetable, as a nutritional and culinary term, denotes any part of a plant that is commonly consumed by humans as food, but is not regarded as a culinary fruit, nut, herb, spice, or grain. ... Image File history File links Photo by Nathan Freitas. ... Image File history File links Photo by Nathan Freitas. ... A farmers market near the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. ... For other uses, see Lhasa (disambiguation). ... This article is about historical/cultural Tibet. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... mariah and nicola are sexy Eat redirects here. ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ...

Normally, any herbaceous plant or plant part which is regularly eaten as food by humans would be considered to be a vegetable. Mushrooms, though belonging to the biological kingdom Fungi, are also generally considered vegetables in the retail industry.^[1][2] Nuts, seeds, grains, herbs, spices and culinary fruits (see below), are not normally considered to be vegetables, with the exception of corn, even though they are all parts of plants. A herb (pronounced hurb in Commonwealth English and urb in American English) is a plant grown for culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual value. ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ... For other uses, see Mushroom (disambiguation). ... The hierarchy of scientific classifications major eight taxonomic ranks. ... For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ... Retail redirects here. ... For other uses, see Nut (disambiguation). ... A ripe red jalapeño cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ... Grain redirects here. ... For other uses, see Herb (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Spice (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... Binomial name L. Corn (Zea mays L. ssp. ...

In general, vegetables are regarded by cooks as being suitable for savory or salted dishes, rather than sweet dishes, although there are many exceptions, such as pumpkin pie and rhubarb crumble. Some vegetables, such as carrots, bell peppers and celery, are eaten either raw or cooked; while others, such as potato, are traditionally eaten only when cooked. The word savory has a number of meanings: Savory for the herb used in some traditional Thanksgiving stuffings. ... Look up Sweet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Pumpkin pie Wikibooks Cookbook has an article on Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin pie is a traditional North American dessert usually made in the late fall and early winter, especially for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. ... Rhubarb crumble is a traditional British dessert. ...

Is it a fruit or a vegetable?

A simplified Venn diagram shows the overlap in the terminology of "vegetables" in the culinary sense and "fruits" in the botanical sense.

The word "vegetable" is a culinary term, not a botanical term. The word "fruit" on the other hand can be a culinary term or a botanical term. A Venn diagram of sets A, B, and C Venn diagrams (or set diagrams) are illustrations used in the branch of mathematics known as set theory. ... Culinary art is the art of cooking. ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ...

Botanically speaking, fruits are fleshy reproductive organs of plants, the ripened ovaries containing one or many seeds. Thus, many botanical fruits are not edible at all, and some are actually extremely poisonous. In a culinary sense however, the word "fruit" is only applied to those botanical fruits which are edible, and which are considered to be a sweet or dessert food such as strawberries, peaches, plums, etc. Longitudinal section of female flower of squash showing ovary, ovules, pistil, and petals In the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. ...

In contrast to this, a number of edible botanical fruits, including the tomato, the eggplant, and the bell pepper are not considered to be a sweet or dessert food, are not routinely used with sugar, but instead are almost always used as part of a savory dish, and are salted. This is the reason that they are labeled as "vegetables". For other uses, see Tomato (disambiguation). ... Aubergine redirects here. ... Binomial name Capsicum annuum L. For green peppercorns, see Black pepper. ...

A plant part may scientifically be referred to as a "fruit", even though it is used in cooking or food preparation as a vegetable. For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ...

The question "The tomato: is it a fruit, or is it a vegetable?" found its way into the United States Supreme Court in 1893. The court ruled unanimously in Nix v. Hedden that a tomato is correctly identified as, and thus taxed as, a vegetable, for the purposes of the 1883 Tariff Act on imported produce. The court acknowledged that botanically speaking, a tomato is a fruit. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Holding That a tomato is legally a vegetable, not a fruit. ... For other uses, see Tomato (disambiguation). ...

A list of vegetables defined as different parts of plants

• Flower bud: broccoli, cauliflower
• Seeds: peas, beans
• Whole unripe seed pods: green beans, snap peas
• Botanical fruit: tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, capsicums (bell peppers and hot peppers), eggplant, tomatillos, christophene, okra
• Leaves: kale, collard greens, spinach, beet greens, turnip greens, endive
• Leaf sheaths: leeks
• Buds: Brussel sprouts
• Stems of leaves: celery, rhubarb (sometimes called a fruit because sweet pies are made from it)
• Stem of a plant when it is still a young shoot: asparagus
• Underground stem of a plant or tuber: potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, sweet potato (often incorrectly called a yam in the USA), also the true yam
• Whole immature plants: bean sprouts
• Roots: carrots, parsnips, beets, radishes, turnips
• Bulbs: onions, garlic, shallots

Broccoli is a plant of the Cabbage family, Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae). ... Cauliflower within Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. ... This writeup is about biological seeds; for other meanings see Seed (disambiguation). ... Binomial name L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... Green beans Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) used for food or feed. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Solanumlycopersicum Linnaeus ref. ... This article is about the fruit. ... Species - hubbard squash, buttercup squash - cushaw squash - butternut squash - most pumpkins, acorn squash, summer squash References: ITIS 22365 2002-11-06 Hortus Third Squashes are four species of the genus Cucurbita, also called pumpkins and marrows depending on variety or the nationality of the speaker. ... For other uses, see Pumpkin (disambiguation). ... Species C. annuum (incl. ... Aubergine redirects here. ... Binomial name Physalis ixocarpa Brot. ... Binomial name (L.) Moench Okra (American English: , British English ), also known as ladys finger[1], bhindi (Hindustani) and gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family (along with such species as cotton and cocoa) valued for its edible green fruits. ... Fresh Swiss chard Fresh water spinach Creamed spinach Steamed kale Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. ... Kale or Borecole is a form of cabbage (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group), green in color, in which the central leaves do not form a head. ... Collards, also called collard greens or borekale (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group), are various loose-leafed cultivars of the cabbage plant. ... Binomial name Spinacia oleracea L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... Belgian endive Endive (Chichorium intibus) is a leaf vegetable used especially in salads. ... Leek is a placename in more than one country: Netherlands: Leek, Netherlands United Kingdom: Leek, Staffordshire Leek is also a vegetable: Leek (vegetable) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Flower buds have not yet bloomed into a full-size flower. ... Cultivar Group Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group The Brussels sprout (Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group) is a cultivar group of cabbage cultivated for its small (typically 2. ... Stem showing internode and nodes plus leaf petiole and new stem rising from node. ... Binomial name L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... For other uses see Rhubarb (disambiguation) Species About 60, including: R. nobile R. palmatum Rhubarb is a perennial plant that grows from thick short rhizomes, comprising the genus Rheum. ... Stem showing internode and nodes plus leaf petiole and new stem rising from node. ... For the botanical genus, see Asparagus (genus). ... For fungal genus, see tuber (genus). ... Binomial name Solanum tuberosum L. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, grown for its starchy tuber. ... Binomial name (L.) Lam. ... Yams at Brixton market Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). ... Sprouting is the practice of soaking then draining and leaving seeds until they germinate and begin to sprout. ... Root vegetables are underground plant parts used as vegetables. ... Binomial name Daucus carota A carrot (Daucus Carota) is a root vegetable, typically orange or white in color with a woody texture. ... Binomial name Pastinaca sativa L. The parsnip is a root vegetable related to the carrot, which it resembles, although it has a paler color and a stronger flavor. ... A beet (called beetroot in the United Kingdom and its former colonies, as well as table beet, garden beet, blood turnip or red beet) is a plant of the genus Beta of which both the leaves and root are edible. ... bunch of radishes The radish (Raphanus sativus) is a root vegetable of the Cruciferae family. ... Binomial name Brassica rapa L. Subsp. ... Shallot bulbs A bulb is an underground vertical shoot that has modified leaves (or thickened leaf bases) that is used as food storage organs by a dormant plant. ... For the parody newspaper, see The Onion. ... Binomial name L. Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. ... Binomial name Allium oschaninii O. Fedtsch Flowering shallots Shallot as the word is commonly used, refers to two different Allium species. ...

Etymology

Vegetable is also used as a literary term for any plant: vegetable matter, vegetable kingdom.^[3] It comes from Latin vegetabilis (animated) and from vegetare (enliven), which is derived from vegetus (active), in reference to the process of a plant growing. This in turn derives from the Proto-Indo-European base *weg- or *wog-, which is also the source of the English wake, meaning "not sleep". The word vegetable was first recorded in print in English in the 14th century. The meaning of "plant grown for food" was not established until the 18th century. ^[4] The Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) is the hypothetical common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

In the diet

Vegetables are eaten in a variety of ways as part of main meals and as snacks. The nutritional content of vegetables varies considerably, though generally they contain a small proportion of protein and fat,^[5][6] and a relatively high proportion of vitamins, provitamins, dietary minerals, fiber and carbohydrates. Many vegetables also contain phytochemicals which may have antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticarcinogenic properties.^[7][8] For the coarsely ground flour, see flour. ... A snack food (commonly shortened to snack) is seen in Western culture as a type of food not meant to be eaten as a main meal of the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) but one that is intended rather to assuage a persons hunger between these meals, providing a brief... The Nutrition Facts table indicates the amounts of nutrients which experts recommend you limit or consume in adequate amounts. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin showing coloured alpha helices. ... For other uses, see FAT. Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. ... Retinol (one vitamer of Vitamin A) A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. ... A provitamin is a substance that can be converted into a vitamin by animal tissues. ... mccall is cooool Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, other than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen which are present in common organic molecules. ... Dietary fibers are the indigestible portion of plant foods that move food through the digestive system, absorbing water and making defecation easier. ... Carbohydrates (literally hydrates of carbon) are chemical compounds that act as the primary biological means of storing or consuming energy, other forms being fat and protein. ... Phytochemicals are plant or fruit derived chemical compounds. ... Space-filling model of the antioxidant metabolite glutathione. ... An antiseptic solution of Povidone-iodine applied to an abrasion Antiseptics (Greek αντί, against, and σηπτικός, putrefactive) are antimicrobial substances that are applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putrefaction. ... An antifungal drug is medication used to treat fungal infections such as athletes foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as cryptococcal meningitis, and others. ... Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used specifically for treating viral infections. ...

Color

Vegetables (and some fruit) for sale on a street in Guntur, India

The green color of leafy vegetables is due to the presence of the green pigment chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is affected by pH and changes to olive green in acid conditions, and bright green in alkaline conditions. Some of the acids are released in steam during cooking, particularly if cooked without a cover. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 1. ... This article is about a city in India. ... For other uses, see Green (disambiguation). ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... Natural Ultramarine pigment in powdered form. ... Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. ... For other uses, see PH (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see acid (disambiguation). ... The common (Arrhenius) definition of a base is a chemical compound that either donates hydroxide ions or absorbs hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Cooking is the act of preparing food. ...

The yellow/orange colors of fruits and vegetables are due to the presence of carotenoids, which are also affected by normal cooking processes or changes in pH. This article is about the color. ... The orange, the fruit from which the modern name of the orange colour comes. ... Carotenoids are organic pigments naturally occurring in plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some types of fungus and some bacteria. ...

The red/blue coloring of some fruits and vegetables (e.g. blackberries and red cabbage) are due to anthocyanins, which are sensitive to changes in pH. When pH is neutral, the pigments are purple, when acidic, red, and when alkaline, blue. These pigments are very water soluble. For other uses, see Red (disambiguation). ... This article is about the colour. ... This article is about the fruit. ... Cultivar Group Brassica oleracea Capitata Group The Red Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. ... Anthocyanin is a pigment that reflects the red to blue range of the visible spectrum. ... Some things which can be neutral are: Neutral country, in politics, a country takes no side in a conflict. ... This article is about the color. ...

Storage

Many root and non-root vegetables that grow underground can be stored through winter in a root cellar or other similarly cool, dark and dry place to prevent mold, greening and sprouting. Care should be taken in understanding the properties and vulnerabilities of the particular roots to be stored. These vegetables can last through to early spring and be nearly as nutritious as when fresh. Root vegetables are underground plant parts used as vegetables. ... For other uses, see Winter (disambiguation). ... Root cellar is an underground room suitable for storage of consumable goods. ... This article is about the fungi known as molds. ... For other uses, see Potato (disambiguation). ... Mixed bean sprouts Sprouting is the practice of soaking, draining, then rinsing at regular intervals seeds until they germinate and begin to sprout. ... Spring is one of the four temperate seasons. ... The Nutrition Facts table indicates the amounts of nutrients which experts recommend you limit or consume in adequate amounts. ... Post Harvest products are subject to an active metabolism. ...

During storage, leafy vegetables lose moisture and vitamin C degrades rapidly. They should be stored for as short a time as possible in a cool place, in a container or plastic bag. Dew on a spider web Moldy bread Moisture generally refers to the presence of water, often in trace amounts. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

See also

Wikibooks Cookbook has an article on

Vegetable

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Vegetable

• List of vegetables
• Perennial vegetable
• Vegetarianism
• Veganism
• Herbivore
• Market gardening

Image File history File links Wikibooks-logo-en. ... Wikibooks logo Wikibooks, previously called Wikimedia Free Textbook Project and Wikimedia-Textbooks, is a wiki for the creation of books. ... This is a list of vegetables in the culinary sense, which means it includes some botanical fruits like pumpkins and doesnt include herbs, spices, cereals and most culinary fruits and culinary nuts. ... A variety of vegetarian food ingredients Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes all animal flesh, including poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea, and slaughter by-products. ... Vegan redirects here. ... A deer and two fawns feeding on some foliage A herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants[1]. By that definition, many fungi, some bacteria, many animals, about 1% of flowering plants and some protists can be considered herbivores. ... Market gardening on an outlying island to supply the needs of Hong Kong In agriculture, market gardening is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. ...

Notes

Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External links

• UC Vegetable & Research Information Center
• Michigan Vegetable Information Network
• Growing Vegetables