Tomatoes are one of the most common ingredients in kitchens around the world. From salads and sauces to soups and juices, they seem simple, familiar, and harmless. But behind their bright red color and refreshing taste, tomatoes hold a few surprising truths that many people don’t know.

1. Tomatoes Are Technically a Fruit, Not a Vegetable

Most people think of tomatoes as vegetables because they are used in savory dishes. However, botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits. More specifically, they are classified as berries because they develop from a single flower and contain seeds. This scientific fact even led to a famous legal case in the United States in the 19th century, where tomatoes were officially declared vegetables for taxation purposes—despite being fruits by nature.