On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 17:00:31 GMT, Alfred Falk
wrote:

Antipodean Bucket Farmer wrote in
:

Hi, Everybody,

While this might sound absurdly obvious, this question
is *not* a troll.

Technically speaking, what is the difference between a
fruit and a vegetable?

Can anyone tell me the plain-english rule on this?

You've already got some good answers on this, but I'll add my own 2
cents. The "problem" arises because we have two different usage
systems:
1. "ordinary English", where the distinction between f & v has mostly to
do with how we use the material, rather than plant physiology.
2. "Scientific botanical English" where the distinction between f & v is
strictly based on plant physiology.

I think Alfred has the best answer. This topic usually comes up when
discussing the tomato as a vegetable, which has to do with the wording
of certain (import?) regs in the US. The tomato was declared a
vegetable (as opposed to a fruit) for regulatory purposes.

As far as plants go, the distinction doesn't mean a great deal. It's
mainly a convenience for people. Almost any difference one could think
of (annual vs. perennial) has exceptions. I went through the same
thing with 'spice' vs. 'herb.' The best rule I found was that spices
are produced in semi- or tropical climates, while herbs are grown in
temperate regions.

One might say that fruits are vegetables with a high sugar content,
but I'm sure there are exceptions both ways to this, too. And of
course, the individual tomato or pepper or cucumber is the 'fruit' of
its plant. Don't worry about it. :-)