Nonfruit

Nonfruit refers to any edible plant part that is not botanically classified as a fruit. This broad category encompasses a variety of plant structures that are commonly consumed as food.

Vegetables are perhaps the most well-known category of nonfruit. Botanically, a vegetable is any edible part of a plant, such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or seeds. This means that items like carrots (roots), celery (stems), spinach (leaves), broccoli (flowers), and peas (seeds) are all considered vegetables. The culinary definition of a vegetable often focuses on its savory flavor profile and use in main courses, distinguishing it from the typically sweet fruits used in desserts.

Other nonfruit edible plant parts include grains, which are the seeds of cereal grasses like wheat, rice, and corn. These are a staple food source for much of the world's population. Nuts, while sometimes used in culinary contexts like fruits, are botanically considered a type of fruit or seed depending on the specific plant. However, in common parlance and for many culinary purposes, they are often treated as a distinct category. Fungi, such as mushrooms, are also consumed as food but are not plants at all, belonging to their own biological kingdom. Therefore, they also fall under the broad umbrella of nonfruit edible items.