Why is a tomato vegetable but not cucumber?

Botanically speaking, both tomatoes and cucumbers are fruits. This is because they develop from the ovary of a flowering plant and contain seeds.

The confusion comes from how we use these terms in everyday language.

* Culinary use: We generally categorize foods based on their taste and texture.

* Tomatoes are often used in savory dishes, like salads and sauces, and have a more substantial texture. This leads to them being called a "vegetable" in our culinary vocabulary.

* Cucumbers, with their refreshing, watery texture, are usually eaten raw and often in salads or as a garnish. They tend to be classified as a "vegetable" for their culinary purpose.

So, the answer is:

* Botanically: Both tomatoes and cucumbers are fruits.

* Culinary: We often use "vegetable" in a looser sense based on how we use the food, which is why tomatoes are often considered vegetables.