Let’s start with the most famous liar of them all: the tomato. In 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court actually ruled that a tomato is a vegetable. Why? Because of tariffs. True story. They said, “Look, it’s eaten with dinner, not dessert, so it’s a veggie.” Never mind that it’s a swollen ovary full of seeds. Justice was served, but it was cold and confusing.
And don’t get me started on bell peppers. They are fruits, too. Every time you put a slice on a pizza, you are technically eating a fruit. But try telling that to a New Yorker and they’ll throw a slice at you. It’s a vegetable in spirit.
Then there’s the cucumber. Also a fruit. It’s basically a water balloon with a vitamin complex. But did anyone ever put a cucumber in a fruit salad? No, because that would be culinary treason. We have rules, people.
