We’ve all heard it before: “Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable?”
But what about the egg?
- Is the egg a vegetable?
- Or is it a fruit?
- Does it fall into some other category of food entirely?
In this post, we’ll take a look at this question and finally answer it once and for all!
Is an Egg a Fruit or Vegetable?
Eggs are neither fruits nor vegetables, but rather an animal product. In fact, eggs are considered to be one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet. They contain very high-quality protein, as well as a number of vitamins and minerals.
An egg is a natural, organic vessel for the nutrients an animal needs to develop.
It is made of mostly protein, with a lot of water, fat, and some vitamins and minerals.
It also contains blood vessels and tissue that can become a living animal if fertilized.
Because it is a source of food for other creatures (if eaten) or a source of life for the next generation (if fertilized), it is considered part of the animal kingdom.
Some people consider eggs to be vegetables because they are not sweet. This is incorrect. Eggs come from animals, not plants.
An egg, in fact, is like a plant embryo. It contains all of the information needed to grow into an organism—and that includes plants!
The yolk of an egg is full of nutrients, but it’s not considered a fruit or vegetable because it lacks the ability to photosynthesize.
Fruits and vegetables are able to take in energy from sunlight and use it to fuel their growth, while an egg must be incubated by an animal before it can develop into something living.
Is an Egg a Meat?
Eggs are a food group all their own: they contain protein, but they aren’t meat. Meat is considered muscle tissue from animals, and eggs are reproductive tissue produced by the ovaries of hens.
It’s a common misconception that eggs are meat.
In fact, eggs are not meat, nor is any part of an animal’s reproductive system considered meat.
Animals have muscle tissue, and those parts of the animal are considered meat.
So What Is Meat?
Meat refers to the edible portions of an animal’s body.
The most common meats in human diets come from cows (beef), pigs (pork), chickens (chicken), goats (goat), and sheep (lamb).
All these animals have muscle tissue which can be harvested as food.
You can see that eggs do not contain muscle tissue, so they cannot be called meat.
They do contain protein, but they are not meat.
Why Do People Think Eggs Are Fruit?
While the answer to whether eggs are fruit isn’t as simple as a yes or no, there’s a good explanation for this confusion.
In biology, “fruit” is defined as the part of a plant that develops from its flower and contains seeds.
This means that an egg is most definitely not a fruit because it has no flower, nor does it contain seeds.
Eggs contain an embryo (a young plant or animal in its early stages) which forms inside the reproductive tract of a female mammal after being fertilized by sperm.
It’s also worth noting that eggs are categorized as “ovum,” which means “egg cell.”
Ovum is a Latin word meaning “egg” and is most often used in the context of biology when referencing eggs.
Why Does It Matter Whether an Egg Is a Fruit or A Vegetable?
It matters because it’s really important to call things by the right name.
Imagine if you referred to your girlfriend as your “boyfriend,” or vice versa.
You’d hurt their feelings!
Or, imagine if you went to your boss and said, “Hey, there’s a problem with the thingy that goes on top of the other thingy.”
You’d sound like a fool!
Or, imagine if you went to get an operation and told the surgeon that you had an ache in your funny bone.
They might think you were joking around instead of getting seriously treated for a broken arm!
Knowing the difference between a fruit and a vegetable is no different from those situations.
If you go to make a fruit salad and put tomatoes in it, your guests will be disgusted by how much of a rube you are.
If you tell someone that avocados are vegetables, they may not want to eat them anymore (or worse: they may start eating them with every single meal).
And if we all stop calling strawberries “fruits” and start calling them “vegetables,” how will we ever maintain order in our world?
Don’t let chaos reign: know whether an egg is a fruit or vegetable, or something entirely different.
Conclusion
So, eggs aren’t vegetables. And they’re not fruits, either. But they are an animal product, and an extremely healthy one at that.
In fact, eggs are considered to be one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet.
They contain very high-quality protein, as well as a number of vitamins and minerals.
Hi, I'm Benjamin. I love cooking, long walks, and my girlfriend! Here you’ll find simple and delicious recipes that you can make in 30 minutes or less.