Vegetable

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Vegetables in a Market

Venn diagram representing the relationship between (botanical) fruits and vegetables. Botanical fruits that are not vegetables are culinary fruits.

Tomatoes growing in a vegetable garden

For other uses, see Vegetable (disambiguation).

Vegetable is a culinary term. Its definition has no scientific value and is somewhat arbitrary and subjective.

All parts of an herbaceous plant that humans eat whole or in part is generally considered a vegetable, except for culinary fruits and arguably grains, nuts, herbs, and spices. Also, mushrooms are commonly considered vegetables, despite belonging to a different biological kingdom, namely fungi.

Vegetables include leaf vegetables (for example lettuce), stem vegetables (asparagus), root vegetables (carrot), flower vegetables (broccoli), bulbs (garlic) and botanical fruits such as cucumbers, squashes, pumpkins, capsicums, as well as legumes such as green beans, and fleshy, immature seeds such as those of peas or beans.

Since "vegetable" is not a botanical term, there is no contradiction in a plant part being a fruit botanically while still being considered a vegetable (see diagram). See Nix v. Hedden for a United States Supreme Court's ruling on the matter.

In general, vegetables are thought of as being savoury, and not sweet (with some exceptions, such as rhubarb and pumpkin).

Commercial production of vegetables is a branch of horticulture called olericulture.

1 Etymology
2 Importance of vegetables in the diet
3 Colour of vegetables and fruit
4 Storage of vegetables
5 See also
6 External links
7 Notes

[edit] Etymology

The vegetable is also used as a literary term for any plant: vegetable matter, vegetable kingdom.^[1] It comes from Latin vegetabilis (animated) and from vegetare (enliven), which is derived from vegetus (active), in reference to the process of a plant growing. This in turn derives from the Proto-Indo-European base *weg- or *wog-, which is also the source of the English wake, meaning "not sleep". The word vegetable was first recorded in print in English in the 14th century. The meaning of "plant grown for food" was not established until the 18th century. ^[2]

[edit] Importance of vegetables in the diet

Vegetables are eaten in a variety of ways as part of main meals and as snacks. The nutrient content of different types varies considerably. With the exception of pulses, vegetables provide little protein and fat.^[3]^[4] Vegetables contain water soluble vitamins like vitamin B and vitamin C, fat soluble vitamins including vitamin A and vitamin D, and also contain carbohydrates and minerals.

[edit] Colour of vegetables and fruit

The green colour of leafy vegetables is due to the presence of the green pigment chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is affected by pH and changes to olive green in acid conditions, and bright green in alkali conditions. Some of the acids are released in steam during cooking, particularly if they are cooked without a cover.

The yellow/orange colour of fruits and vegetables are due to the presence of carotenoids, which are also affected by normal cooking processes or changes in pH.

The red/blue colour of some fruits and vegetables (e.g. blackberries and red cabbage) are due to anthocyanins, which are sensitive to changes in pH. When pH is neutral, the pigments are purple, when acidic, red, and when alkaline, blue. These pigments are very soluble in water .

[edit] Storage of vegetables

Potatoes should be stored in a dark, cool, and dry place to prevent molding, greening (due to exposure to light) and slow sprouting. Other root vegetables can be stored in a similar manner.

Leafy vegetables lose moisture and vitamin C degrades rapidly during storage and should therefore be stored for the minimum time in a cool place, in a plastic bag.

Many root vegetables can be stored through winter in a root cellar. Care should be taken in understanding the properties and vulnerabilities of the particular roots to be stored. Many can last through to early spring and be nearly as wholesome as when fresh.

[edit] See also

List of vegetables
Vegetarianism
Veganism
Herbivore