Rhubarb: The Verdict

After many hours toiling on the Internet (ok, maybe just a two-minute Google search) the final verdict on the rhubarab issue is:

Vegetable.

BUT... it's not really so simple, friends.  The botanical...etymology, if you will, is slightly more complex:

In 1947, rhubarb was legally classified as a fruite, even though botanically rhubarb is a vegetable.  It was the United States Customs Court in Buffalo, New York, that ruled rhubarb to be a fruit since it was used mainly as a fruit.  This cost-effective act allowed imported rhubarb to pay a smaller duty than if it was a vegetable.  Dubbed "pie plant," pie was the only dish this tart treat was used for in the early days.*

Et voilà.  Capitalism prevails.  Fruit it is.