Could you imagine life without pizza or ketchup? If the answer is no, then you should learn some things about the tomatoes.
Wild tomatoes originate from the Andes Mountains. Ancient Indians ate them, but did not cultivate them. But when the tomatoes had reached Mexico, the Aztecs were very pleased of it and called it "xitomatl" ("tomatl" in Nahuatl, their language, meant "berry"). The sauce made from these fruits turned
quickly in a basic ingredient of the Aztec cuisine. Spanish conquistadors were so pleased by the taste of the sauce that they sent the tomato seeds to Spain, Caribbean and Philippines. But these vegetables got their current status only at the end of the 19th century.
Europeans were first reluctant to eat the tomato, because botanists included it in the same family of the nightshade, an extremely toxic plant. Moreover, the leaves spread a strong scent and resulted in being toxic. Some attributed the tomato aphrodisiac properties, that's why in French it was called "pomme d'amour" (love apple).
While at the beginning of the 19th century the Americans and the British were still rejecting the fruit, the more practical Italians, after calling it "pomodoro" (golden apple, as the first cultivated varieties were yellow) during the 16th century, turned it into a popular food item in the 17th century, as its cultivation was favored by Italy's sunny climate. Meanwhile, tomatoes were being cultivated in other areas as well, as medicine or as decorative plants.
But, by 1870, the tomato became popular, as the invention of pizza in Naples (Italy) some decades earlier spurred its cultivation. During the 20th century, the increasing popularity of the soups, of the tomato juice and sauce, of vegetable salads and pizza turned it into the most common fruit on Earth. Billions of tons of tomatoes are produced annually, much more than apples, bananas, grapes and oranges together.
Tomatoes can be cultivated everywhere, even on oil platforms in the Northern Sea. The seeds germinate even without soil and are placed on a plastic bag with nutrients and water. These plants produce food and turn the platforms green at the same time...
They are even cultivated by the Bedouins, in the desert of the Egyptian Sinai peninsula, on mountain terraces irrigated with water from springs, wells and sporadic rainfall. They harvest large tomatoes, which are afterwards dried in the sun for preservation in the winter.
The popularity of the tomato is due not only to its adaptability to various soils and climes, but also to the fact that the plant is an auto-pollinator, and that's why it can be cultivated in great number for a long period of time. Actually, today there are 4,000 strains of tomato, from cherry sized to large fruits! The largest tomato ever was 3.51 kg or 7.8 pounds, obtained by an Oklahoma farmer.
Watch out: tomatoes are sensitive to tobacco presence, as the latter plant (which is related with the tomatoes) transmits them a deadly virus. In Ecuador, a fruit very similar to the tomato is cultivated: "lulo" or "naranjilla" (Solanum quitoensis).
Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C, and also lycopene, a red pigment, which is a powerful antioxidant; it has been proved that it helps prevent cancer of prostate, pancreas, lung and colon.
In Spain, one of the most popular beverages is the refreshing gazpacho, a cold soup. For five persons, use 600 grams of ripe tomatoes, 350 grams of cucumbers, 250 grams of red pimientos, 2 slices (60 grams) of toast, 30 ml of wine vinegar, 30 ml of olive oil, salt, one garlic clove and a pinch of cumin. Tomatoes, pimientos and peeled cucumbers are chopped into small pieces and placed in a bowl adding one liter of water, the bread, vinegar, oil and spices. Let it rest for the night and the next day it is all ground and filtered. If necessary, it can be seasoned to your liking. The gazpacho must be kept in the refrigerator, till serving time.
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