You Say Tomato, I Say Edible Wolf-Peach
An item in Newsday gives some info on the history and classification of the tomato. Among other things, it reveals that the tomato is a fruit. That ain't news to me (I learned that factoid back in, like, Fifth Grade), but I did learn that the plant's latin name, Lycopersicon esculentum, means "edible wolf-peach."
For a thoroughly erudite and entertaining essay on fruit vs. vegetable, pick up a copy of Jeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything and turn to the chapter titled "Ripeness Is All."
