Many people have wondered over the years – is cucumber a fruit or a vegetable? While the vegetable is delicious, regardless, it is important to finally have an answer.
Is Cucumber a Fruit or a Vegetable?
In the age-old question of whether cucumbers are fruits or vegetable, there isn’t a simple answer, as you need to look at the question from a number of perspectives, including from botanical, culinary, cultural, and horticultural angles.
Botanical
Botanically speaking, cucumbers are considered fruits, because they develop from a flower and contain seeds. So, by that definition, a cucumber is a fruit. [1]
Culinary
In terms of how people commonly prepare and consume cucumber, it is treated as a vegetable. It is commonly included in salads, stir-frys, and other common recipes for vegetables, rather than for fruits. When it comes to the opinion of chefs around the world, cucumbers are vegetables.
Cucumbers are hydrating and low-calorie with plenty of nutritional value. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Horticultural
When discussing this from a horticultural perspective, fruits tend to grow from woody plants, while vegetables grow from herbaceous plants. Since cucumbers do grow from herbaceous plants, most horticulturists label them as a vegetable. [2]
Cultural
Perhaps the most important perspective is that of how we culturally refer to and discuss cucumbers. While there are those who are sticklers for botany and loudly proclaim the fruity nature of cucumbers, the vast majority of the population thinks of, refers to, and uses cucumbers as vegetables.
