Is Watermelon a Fruit or a Vegetable?

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Many people consider watermelon as a vegetable because it is grown as a vegetable. But is watermelon a fruit or a vegetable?

Watermelon is a summer fruit in many parts of the world. And there are over 1000 varieties of melon. Initially, melon can be any plant with sweet, edible, and flesh fruit belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family.

And watermelon happens to be one of them. But, like squash and pumpkin, watermelon is a great staple in the household that many people can mistake for vegetables.

Now, let’s quickly learn more about watermelon to understand whether it’s a fruit or a vegetable!

What is Watermelon?

Scientifically, watermelon is called Citrullus Lanatus, and it is from the Cucurbitaceae family. Generally, melons are native to Africa, watermelon inclusive. However, it is now versatile in many regions. Places like India and Iran grow melons for culinary purposes.

Watermelon is one of the fruits with extremely high water content, and it also provides nutrients like lycopene, vitamins A and C, and citrulline. There are numerous benefits of watermelon.

Like many plants, watermelon is planted from seeds or seedlings, and although it is harvested chiefly as vegetables, many people refer to it as fruit.

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Is Watermelon a Fruit or a Vegetable?

Watermelon can be considered a fruit because it is primarily consumed as a fruit. It is extensively incorporated into everyday meals. You can snack on watermelon during the day. Since watermelon has more juicy elements, you can have this fruit ground alongside other fruits and have them as juice. This is how good watermelon is.

Every other day vegetarians love to include them in their diet plan as watermelon is packed with many nutrients.

Watermelon is a fruit because it is a flowering plant species. However, many regions would refer to it as vegetables.

How is Watermelon Used as a Vegetable?

In most regions, like Asian countries, the outer part of a watermelon is mainly used as a vegetable. So watermelon can be stir-fried, stewed, and often they are pickled too.

Pickled watermelon is versatile in Russia and the southern United States. No wonder these regions would always refer to watermelons as vegetables.

How does watermelon taste? 

Watermelon has different tastes. The taste could range from sweet to bitter and then to sour. Moreover, just as you would have in many fruits, watermelon only sometimes tastes sweet.

So, you will likely encounter different tastes from grocery stores or vendors when you get watermelon.

The outer part has a unique bitter taste, while the layer between the red component and the green is neither sweet nor bitter. However, it is these three layers that make up the watermelon.

Why do people refer to watermelon as fruit and other vegetables?

Well, depending on what watermelon serves for you, you can either refer to watermelon as a fruit or a vegetable.

Although watermelon develops from the ovary of a flowering plant, it is harvested as a vegetable. So, it is no longer surprising that many people would refer to some as vegetables and others as fruits.

Watermelon is one of many fruits referred to as a vegetable. Fruits like squash, zucchini, tomatoes, pumpkins, peapods, and olives are also considered vegetables, even when they are botanically regarded as fruits.

Vegetables vs. Fruits

Let’s learn about the differences between vegetables and fruits.

Vegetables, although they are the leafy parts of a plant, can be grouped depending on the part of the plant. Other parts include; stems, roots, bulbs, and flowers. So vegetables are likely to go all under any of the groups.

On the other hand, fruits develop from the flower of a plant. Fruits are pretty fleshy when they are mature.

Flavor: Vegetables have a distinct flavor that is neither bitter nor sweet, but fruit always has a sweet taste, unless for fruits like watermelon that have several layers that range from sweet to sour and then bitter.

Contents: Fruits contain seeds; however, vegetables do not contain seeds.

Uses: When it’s time to put vegetables or fruits to use, it is always different. And just as you can serve watermelon as the fruit, you can also serve it as a vegetable.

Color: Fruits have varieties of colors. You can see fruits in red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and other unique colors. Vegetables usually come in green colors, but this could also depend on the vegetable. Cabbage comes in different colors, like pale white or even purple.

So now you know so much about watermelon, would you say that watermelon is a fruit or a vegetable?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is watermelon healthy?

Of course, watermelon is a healthy, fleshy fruit you can boldly consume. Watermelon contains a whole lot of nutrients. Above all, it would reward you with so many health benefits.

Can you eat watermelon every day?

So, since watermelon is safe to consume, can you eat it daily? Although it seems unusual to eat one particular type of fruit or meal daily, watermelon is always an exception because it is safe to eat. However, we advise you to have varieties of other melons rather than consuming only watermelon.

What makes watermelon unique? 

The fact that watermelon can be served as a fruit or as a vegetable is something exceptional.

It contains nutrients that always make it a go-to plant for many people.

How do you know a sweet watermelon? 

Remember earlier we said that it is possible you will not end up with sweet watermelon at all times, even when watermelon should be sweet? There is something you can do about it.

To get a sweet watermelon, find sugar spots on the watermelon. If you see any black spots on the melon, that is where the sugar is slipping out, and this says that the watermelon is sweet.

You can also look out for watermelon with a light green color or watermelon with dots on the line.

Conclusion

If you have always asked if a watermelon is a fruit, it sure means you’ve had enough second-guessing. In our guide, we explained what makes a fruit a fruit and what makes up a vegetable too.

Watermelon is botanically a fruit, but this does not mean it cannot be served as a vegetable. Ensure you refer back to our guide if you encounter difficulties defining watermelon.

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