A vegetable is the edible part of a vegetable plant.
Sometimes we eat the fruits, other times, the leaves, but we can also consume the stems, seeds or roots …

Depending on the part of the plant that is consumed, there are several categories of vegetables:

  • “Leafy vegetables”: celery, cabbage, spinach, fennel, sorrel, etc. Lettuce is a special category of leafy vegetables;
  • “Stem vegetables”: leek, asparagus, bamboo shoots, etc .;
  • “Flower vegetables”: artichoke, cauliflower, broccoli, etc .;
  • “Root vegetables”: beetroot, carrot, turnip, radish, etc .;
  • Bulbs: garlic, shallot, onion, etc .;
  • Pulses, which seeds are eaten: beans, lentils, peas, chickpeas, soya beans;
  • “Fruit vegetables”, consumed as vegetables, but constituting the botanical fruit of the plant: eggplant, tomato, cucumber, squash etc. ;
  • “Herbs”, used as condiments: chervil, parsley, tarragon, chives, bay leaves, basil, etc. ;
  • Tuber: sweet potato, potato, Jerusalem artichoke, etc .; are vegetables from a biological point of view but not from a nutritional point of view where they are considered starchy.

 

Botanists, use another classification and name a fruit when it carries seeds or a kernel.

At the scientific level, vegetables are classified according to the shape of their flowers.

  • The family Solanaceae: eggplant, tomato, potato, pepper … The flowers have petals welded between them that make them look like stars.
  • The Brassicaceae family: cabbages, watercress, turnips, radishes … The flowers have four petals arranged in a cross, hence the ancient designation of “Crucifers”.
  • The family Papilionaceae (also called Fabaceae): beans, lentils, peas The shape of the flowers reminds a butterfly.
  • The family Liliaceae: garlic, chives, shallot, onions, leeks … The flowers, often fragrant, are grouped into a “big ball” at the end of a long stem.
  • The Cucurbitaceae family: cucumber, squash, pumpkin, melon, zucchini … The flower is regular and composed of five parts. The petals, often welded at the base, are yellow, yellowish or whitish.
  • The family Umbelliferae: carrot, celery, chervil, fennel, parsnip, parsley … .The flower is in “umbel”, that is to say that the flower stalks are all inserted at the same point of the stem.
  • The family Chenopodiaceae: spinach, beetroot, chard …
    The flowers are usually tiny and greenish. They are grouped in ears or in clusters
  • The family Asteraceae : artichoke, endives, lettuce … have tiny flowers, gathered in capitules, tight together, without peduncles.