The general rule is that an edible plant can be categorised as a fruit if it has seeds, but if it is seedless, it is generally a vegetable.  More than half of the people surveyed knew that tomatoes were a fruit while 34 per cent correctly placed cucumbers in the fruit family.  But many were unsure why they were fruits, suggesting it was because they were a ‘summery’ food.  The courgette came next in the list of correct answers with 14 per cent rightly identifying it as a fruit, followed by 12 per cent placing avocadoes in the same categories.  Only nine per cent correctly identified a pepper as a fruit, with a seven per cent getting the correct answer for pumpkins.  One respondent said: “Everyone knows tomatoes are fruit, but some of the others on the list were really tricky. I always assumed a pea was a veggie, but when you think about it, you grow pea plants from a dried pea which is the seed, so they have to be a fruit. I get why so many people are confused though.”  Another added: “I have never heard of a pea or a courgette being a fruit. Seems mad – we eat them as vegetables so they should be called vegetables.”  A spokesperson for GardeningExpress.co.uk, said: “We can understand why so many people find this difficult. Something like a pea for example, whilst technically a fruit, is eaten as a vegetable. The same can be said for courgettes and squashes.  “The simplest way to identify which is a fruit and which is a vegetable is that fruit has seeds. So in a cucumber the seeds run through the middle of the plant. In an avocado or olive, the seed is the stone at the centre. Remember that and you really can’t go wrong.”  Top ten fruits commonly mistaken as vegetables:  1) Peapods - only 1 per cent could name it as a fruit  2) Aubergine - 3 per cent  3) Olives - 3 per cent  4) Butternut squash - 4 per cent  5) Pumpkin - 7 per cent  6) Pepper - 9 per cent  7) Avocado - 12 per cent  9) Courgette - 14 per cent  9) Cucumber - 34 per cent  10) Tomato - 52 per cent Explanations to our quiz  1. Fruit. Tomatoes meet the botanical definition of a fruit - the seed-bearing part of a flowering plant.  2. Vegetable. Most of us eat rhubarb in dishes we associate with sweet fruits, such as crumble, but it is in fact a vegetable.  3. Other. A vegetable is usually defined as an edible plant, whereas a mushroom isn’t a plant at all – it’s part of the fungi kingdom.  4. Fruit. This Mediterranean favourite is the fruit of the olive tree  5. Other. Sweetcorn is unusual – it is a grain like wheat or barley, but can also be classified as fruit (each kernel is an ovary) or a vegetable.  6. Fruit. It’s generally used in savoury foods, but the squash is a fruit that grows on vines, like grapes.  7. Vegetable. People often describe potatoes as tubers, but botanically tubers are still part of the vegetable family. They are however classified nutritionally as a starchy food, and in Britain aren’t counted towards our “five a day”.  8. Fruit. Because it contains seeds, the cucumber is botanically a fruit.  9. Fruit. It contains seeds.  10. Fruit. Okra contains seeds, so is botanically a fruit.
Many Britons do not know the difference between a fruit and a vegetable, new   research shows. Take the test then check out the explanations below.