tomatoes were fruits, and so under the regulations of the time, not subject to import fees The customs agent ruled that tomatoes were vegetables and imposed a duty A majority of the Supreme Court decided that tomatoes were “usually served at a dinner in, with, or after the soup, fish, or meat, which constitute the principal part of the repast, and not, like fruits, generally as dessert.” Ergo tomatoes were vegetables, and the importer had to pay The Key Distinction: Flavor Why we customarily prepare vegetables as side dishes to the main course, and make fruits the centerpiece of the meal’s climax? Culinary fruits are distinguished from vegetables by one important characteristic: they’re among the few things we eat that we’re meant to eat Many plants have engineered their fruits to appeal to the animal senses, so that animals will eat them and disperse the seeds within These fruits are the natural world’s soft drinks and candies, flashily packaged in bright colors, and test-marketed through millions of years of natural selection They tend to have a high sugar content, to satisfy the innate liking for sweetness shared by all animals They have a pronounced and complex aroma, which may involve several hundred different chemicals, far more than any other natural ingredient And they soften themselves to an appealingly tender, moist consistency By contrast, the plant foods that we treat as vegetables remain firm, have either a very mild flavor — green beans and potatoes — or else an excessively strong one — onions and cabbage — and therefore require the craft of the cook to make them palatable The very words fruit and vegetable reflect these differences Vegetable comes from the Latin verb vegere, meaning to invigorate or enliven Fruit, on the other hand, comes from Latin fructus, whose cluster of related ... excessively strong one — onions and cabbage — and therefore require the craft of the cook to make them palatable The very words fruit and vegetable reflect these differences Vegetable comes from the Latin verb vegere, meaning to invigorate or...These fruits are the natural world’s soft drinks and candies, flashily packaged in bright colors, and test-marketed through millions of years of natural selection They tend to have a... ingredient And they soften themselves to an appealingly tender, moist consistency By contrast, the plant foods that we treat as vegetables remain firm, have either a very mild flavor — green beans and potatoes — or