Could potatoes lose their status as a vegetable? The debate has deep roots.
Could potatoes lose their status as a vegetable? The debate has deep roots. Introduction: Potatoes are one of the most popular and versatile foods in the world. They can be boiled, baked, mashed, fried, roasted, or turned into chips, crisps, or fries. They are also a staple crop for many countries, providing a cheap and filling source of carbohydrates and energy. But are potatoes really vegetables? And does it matter how we classify them? What is a vegetable? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a vegetable is “a plant or part of a plant used as food, typically as an accompaniment to meat or fish, such as a cabbage, potato, carrot, or bean”. This definition is based on the culinary use of the term, which refers to how people prepare and eat different plants. However, this is not the only way to define a vegetable. Botanically, a vegetable is “any plant whose fruit, seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves, or flower parts are used as food”. This definition is based on the scie...
