# Is tobacco actually a vegetable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963 "2011-06-18T19:59:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/1 "2011-06-18T19:59:39Z")
I think the question is pretty clear. On a side note… If tobacco _ **is** _ a vegetable… Are there any other vegetables that contain significant amounts of nicotine! ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/2 "2011-06-18T20:16:33Z")
On what basis would it be considered a vegetable? My understanding is that eating large amounts is essentially poison. Of course, that’s also true of some other things we use as herbs and spices–and indeed tobacco [has been used](http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/31/dining/eating-well-cigar-cuisine-puzzles-health-experts.html) that way. As to the other question, other members of the [nightshade](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanaceae) family (tomatoes, potatoes, etc.) contain some nicotine, but largely in leaves that aren’t typically eaten. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/3 "2011-06-18T20:21:09Z")
If by “vegetable”, you mean any plant part that isn’t a botanical fruit or seed, then yes. But vegetable isn’t usually used that way, it usually means a plant part that is eaten by humans but isn’t sweet. And so a watermelon is a culinary fruit, but a cucumber is a culinary vegetable. Under this definition, tobacco leaves aren’t vegetables, since eating them would make you sick. ---
**Author:** ![Gil-Martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Gil-Martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gil-Martin)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/4 "2011-06-18T20:24:45Z")
No answer to your question. I’m just wondering if the question comes from that recent Frank Zappa interview. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/5 "2011-06-18T20:36:06Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > On what basis would it be considered a vegetable? My understanding is that eating large amounts is essentially poison. Lima beans can be [poisonous](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linamarin) too, if eaten raw. Being poisonous and being a vegetable aren’t mutually exclusive. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/6 "2011-06-18T20:56:31Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Lima beans can be [poisonous](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linamarin) too, if eaten raw. Being poisonous and being a vegetable aren’t mutually exclusive. If we think of “vegetables” in terms of foods, rather than crops, they do seem to be pretty exclusive. ---
**Author:** ![jeffsdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aca169/32.png) [@jeffsdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeffsdad)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/7 "2011-06-19T03:34:09Z")
Vegetable and fruit in the sense that the general public uses them are not based on anything “scientific”. You dont ask a taxonomic botanist if something is a fruit or veg - they will look at you really weird. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/8 "2011-06-19T03:48:21Z")
> [@Gil-Martin](#): > > No answer to your question. I’m just wondering if the question comes from that recent Frank Zappa interview. Out of curiosity, how recent? This I have to see! ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/9 "2011-06-19T08:40:12Z")
Ignorance, successfully fought!😃 Thank you all, for the informative answers! _Lima beans_? Who woulda guessed!?:eek: Probably a good thing that these boards aren’t frequented by very many 6-10 year old kids, ya think?😛 And NO, the question was _ **not** _ precipitated by a “Frank Zappa interview”.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/10 "2011-06-19T16:42:48Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > Ignorance, successfully fought!😃 > > Thank you all, for the informative answers! > _Lima beans_? Who woulda guessed!?:eek: Probably a good thing that these boards aren’t frequented by very many 6-10 year old kids, ya think?😛 > > And NO, the question was _ **not** _ precipitated by a “Frank Zappa interview”.:rolleyes: Since it appears that you’re satisfied with the answers you’ve gotten thus far, I’ll just mention that in the 20 Questions games I have played, early questions are designed to put the mystery object into one of three slots: Animal, Mineral or Vegetable (if the thing has some physical attributes anyway). And that Group would allow tobacco to count as a Vegetable. If Vegetable isn’t the right Group, what is? Plant? Side Issue: what other Groups are you used to playing with in 20 Questions? ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/11 "2011-06-19T20:47:14Z")
As above posters have pointed out, “vegetable” isn’t a very definite category. That said, I can say with certainty that tomacco is a fruit. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/12 "2011-06-20T02:41:46Z")
> [@Gil-Martin](#): > > No answer to your question. I’m just wondering if the question comes from that recent Frank Zappa interview. Given that he died 18 years ago, what value of “recent” are we using here? _Could_ have been a very one-sided interview, I suppose … ---
**Author:** ![Gil-Martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Gil-Martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gil-Martin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/13 "2011-06-21T00:10:52Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > And NO, the question was _ **not** _ precipitated by a “Frank Zappa interview”.:rolleyes: Well, since I first heard that tobacco was a vegetable in a Frank Zappa interview a day or so before this thread was posted I thought there might be a connection. ---
**Author:** ![Gil-Martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Gil-Martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gil-Martin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/14 "2011-06-21T00:13:34Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Given that he died 18 years ago, what value of “recent” are we using here? _Could_ have been a very one-sided interview, I suppose … Recent in that I just saw the interview a couple days ago. But I see how what I wrote could be confusing. ---
**Author:** ![gloriacollins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@gloriacollins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gloriacollins)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/15 "2011-06-21T05:36:56Z")
confusing question… i think it may be veg…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tobacco-actually-a-vegetable/585963/16 "2011-06-21T06:06:34Z")
Eggplants have nicotine.