Are potatoes considered herb or vegetable?
By eprado
@eprado (1467)
Philippines
September 11, 2007 12:36am CST
Hello all,
This would look like an odd question maybe but I find it interesting when my niece ask this question last night. According to her science teacher, potato is a herb and not a vegetable. She claimed that the leaves qualified it as a herb and not as a vegetable. And that the potato itself is just a side-product of the herb.
Looking through dictionary per definition:A vegetable is an edible plant, or an edible part of a plant, edible seeds or roots or stems or leaves or bulbs or tubers or nonsweet fruits of any of numerous herbaceous plant.
- Potato is the root of a potato plant (a tuber).
A herb is a plant valued for flavouring food, for medicinal purposes, or for its fragrance. An aromatic potherb used in cookery for its savory qualities. An annual, biennial, or perennial plant with no persistent, woody parts.
- That definition (annual with no woody parts) would also apply to a potato.
I would not totally agree with what the science teacher said considering this definitions. For me, I think potato can be considered both a vegetable and a herb.
What about you? Do you agree with the science teacher? What do you think?
Thank you and Good day to you all.:-)
5 people like this
20 responses
@faith210 (11224)
• Philippines
11 Sep 07
Hi eprado! I always knew that potatoes are vegetables because it is in the vegetable section of the grocery where I usually find them. LOL! Just joking. I do know that it is considered a vegetable and just like you I did look it just now in the dictionary and I found the same definition as yours. So, if I understood that correctly, it is a vegetable. Take care and have a nice day.
2 people like this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
4 Nov 07
Hi there faith210, I just wanted to say that just because something is in the vegetable section doens't always make it a vegetable. I have heard that tomatoes and cucumber are both considered fruits but yet they are lumped in with the vegetables and considered vegetables by most. That is why I was shocked when I read differently. Here is a link that might be of interest to read over about cucumber being a fruit.
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu6dLni1H4gsBHJNXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE5bDJyNHJiBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMgRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA0RGRDVfMTIxBGwDV1Mx/SIG=11p6mbmnr/EXP=1194258379/**http%3a//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber
Well, hope you have a good day.
@indiavani (863)
• India
15 Sep 07
Hello Eprado! I don't agree with your niece's science teacher. I have always read and heard about potato that it is an edible tuber. It is a stem which is considered to be a vegetable, not a herb.
But yes, if you take the mening of herb which is that a herb is a plant whose stem does not become woody and permanant which applies to potato. So, it may be considered as herb too.
So, now I think potato can be considered vegetable as well as a herb.
vani^_^
@lani0529 (1722)
• Philippines
17 Sep 07
Hello eprado!(",)
I love potatoes! I think it's more of a vegetable than an herb.
Potatoes are an important food source. They are the most widely cultivated vegetable in the world. An average-sized potato weighing between 6 and 8 ounces contains less than 100 calories. Potatoes consist of about 80 percent water, 20 percent solid matter, and have a high nutritional value. Starch makes up about 85 percent of this solid mass and the rest is protein. Potatoes also provide vitamins including niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamin C. They also contain minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur.
Great day!(",)
1 person likes this
@ccdrewchat (159)
• Philippines
14 Sep 07
i totally agree with you...with all that definitions you were able to research on, you are perfectly right...i do not agree with your niece's science teacher. residing here in baguio city, the province of benguet where potatoes are abundant, i believe even the potato farmers here believe that potatoes are vegetables and so do i.
2 people like this
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
11 Sep 07
I would say that I think the teacher is more wrong than not..the only reason I say that is because the potato plant has no herb qualities that I can find...."A herb is a plant valued for flavouring food, for medicinal purposes, or for its fragrance"...from what I've read the ONLY part of a potato you can eat is the potato itself which is classified as a ROOT Veggie...and though I'm still looking into it...apparently the leaves/sprouts and flowers of the potato is toxic...SWEET potato leaves are edible though...I only JUST started looking into it but so far I'm not finding ANYWHERE that its a herb or would classify as one......
I'd like to know though, WHY the teacher says its a herb...did you neice happen to say
1 person likes this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
25 Sep 07
for me, herb would usually refer to medicial plants. and i wouldnt consider potato as an herb. on the other hand, vegetable is a very general term and it includes all sorts of plants that are nutritious and edible. i'd rather consider a potato as a vegetable because its nearer to its description. ^__^ heck, let's just create a different group for tubers so we dont have to be confused over this. LOL
@catskisses (434)
• United States
25 Sep 07
Well, I learn something new everyday :-) According to the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary a potato is '1. an erect South American HERB (my caps)(Solanum tuberosum) of the nightshade family widely cultivated for its edible starchy tuber.' and '2. the tuber of a potato.' So it seems the plant is considered an herb. The tuber which we call a potato is simply and edible root.
1 person likes this
@Hawaiiblue (422)
• Malaysia
14 Sep 07
hello, eprado..i think the potato considered to vegetable. potato is plant and edible seeds or nonsweet fruits of any of numerous herbaceous plant.i never hear people told me that the potato is herb..
1 person likes this
@quiethorse (337)
• United States
11 Oct 07
A potato is a tuber which is a vegetable.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
4 Nov 07
That is something I didn't know, I just assumed like most that it was a vegetable. I guess it is no different then others saying that the tomato is considered a fruit not a vegetable. I also read somewhere the other day that a cucumber was considered a fruit as well. Strange I know..all they are doing is confusing us so what part of the food group they go on in a food chart? Well, I guess we learn something new everyday although I don't readily agree with it but if it is in a science book I guess we will eventually have to wrap our minds around that idea of it being a herb..The leaves are poisonous on a potato plant since they are apart of the nightshade family.
@crazypumpkin (501)
• Philippines
29 Oct 07
Potato is a vegetable, even if the description fits that of a herb it is still a vegetable.
1) Because not all herbs are tubers
2) Potato has no taste/ is bland tasting, it adapts itself to whatever other ingredients you add to it.
3) Potato has no smell
4) Herbs are usually cultivated for 2 reasons, seasoning and as traditional medicine, potatoes are cultivated as food source
@terrych (1227)
• United States
28 Sep 07
mmm... this is tricky question, to me the potato is a tuber, and you are right about that... but I will say that is more a vegetable then a herb... because it has leave, but you actually dont use them...I believe potato leaves can be poison(I am not so sure)...
Anyway potatos are from the Solanum family... same as tomato, so I will say vegetable!
