showing vegetables for sale in Lhasa, Tibet]]

and vegetable output in 2004]]

The term "vegetable" generally refers to the edible part of a plant. The definition is traditional rather than scientific. It is somewhat arbitrary and subjective, as it is determined by individual cultural customs of cooking and food preparation.

Normally, any herbaceous plant or plant part which is regularly eaten as food by humans would be considered to be a vegetable.

Mushrooms, though belonging to the biological kingdom Fungi, are also generally considered vegetables in the retail industry.[http://www.sainsburys.com/groceries/index.jsp?bmUID=1204364272863 Sainsbury's vegetable offering.][http://www.ocado.com/webshop/getCategories.do?categoryId=000117519 Ocado's vegetable offering.]

Nuts, seeds, grains, herbs, spices and culinary fruits (see below), are not normally considered to be vegetables, with the exception of corn, even though they are all parts of plants.

In general, vegetables are regarded by cooks as being suitable for savory or salted dishes, rather than sweet dishes, although there are many exceptions, such as pumpkin pie and rhubarb crumble.

Some vegetables, such as carrots, bell peppers and celery, are eaten either raw or cooked; while others, such as potato, are traditionally eaten only when cooked.