The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) belongs to the nightshade and to the potato family and is always planted for the sole purpose of being eaten. It’s generally believed that the Spanish explorer Cortez probably brought the first tomatoes to Europe (it was a small yellow tomato) after the capture of the Aztec city of Tenochtítlan (today known as Mexico City) in 1521 but there’s also a theory that it was the Italian, Christopher Columbus who apparently brought it to Europe  much earlier, in 1493. It was named the Pomo d’oro (golden apple) by the Italian botanist, Pietro Andrea Mattioli.

Wild tomato species have tiny fruits, and only the red ones are edible. Tomato plants do not tolerate frost, and grow as annuals in colder regions. Because tomatoes are so healthy we include ten reasons why you should eat tomatoes from MedicineNet:

1. Tomatoes contain all four major carotenoids: alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene. These carotenoids may have individual benefits, but also have synergy as a group (that is, they interact to provide health benefits).
2. In particular, tomatoes contain awesome amounts of lycopene, thought to have the highest antioxidant activity of all the carotenoids.
3. Tomatoes and broccoli have synergy that may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. One study showed that prostate tumors grew much more slowly in rats that were fed both tomato and broccoli powder than in rats given lycopene as a supplement or fed just the broccoli or tomato powder alone.
4. A diet rich in tomato-based products may help reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a study from The University of Montreal. The researchers found that lycopene (provided mainly by tomatoes) was linked to a 31% reduction in pancreatic cancer risk between men with the highest and lowest intakes of this carotenoid.
5. Tomatoes contain all three high-powered antioxidants: beta-carotene (which has vitamin A activity in the body), vitamin E, and vitamin C. A U.S. Department of Agriculture report, What We Eat in America, noted that a third or us get too little vitamin C and almost half get too little vitamin A.
6. Tomatoes are rich in potassium, a mineral most of us don’t get enough of. A cup of tomato juice contains 534 milligrams of potassium, and 1/2 cup of tomato sauce has 454 milligrams.
7. When tomatoes are eaten along with healthier fats, like avocado or olive oil, the body’s absorption of the carotenoid phytochemicals in tomatoes can increase by two to 15 times, according to a study from Ohio State University.
8. Tomatoes are a big part of the famously healthy Mediterranean diet. Many Mediterranean dishes and recipes call for tomatoes or tomato paste or sauce. Some recent studies, including one from The University of Athens Medical School, have found that people who most closely follow the Mediterranean diet have lower death rates from heart disease and cancer. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, who followed more than 39,000 women for seven years, found that consumption of oil- and tomato-based products — particularly tomato and pizza sauce — was associated with cardiovascular benefits.
9. When breastfeeding moms eat tomato products, it increases the concentration of lycopene in their breast milk. In this case, cooked is best. The researchers also found that eating tomato products like tomato sauce increased concentrations of lycopene in breast milk more than eating fresh tomatoes did.
10. Tomato peels contribute a high concentration of the carotenoids found in tomatoes. The amount of carotenoids absorbed by human intestinal cells was much greater with tomato paste enriched with tomato peels compared to tomato paste without peels, according to a study from Marseille, France. The tomato skin also holds most of the flavonols (another family of phytochemicals that includes quercetin and kaempferol) as well. So to maximize the health properties of tomatoes, don’t peel them if you can help it!

QUICK TOMATO AND COCONUT CHUTNEY

Ingredients

• 400 g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 heaped tbsp grated fresh ginger – grated on a large grate
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 hot green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cardamom seeds (ie the seeds removed from the green pods
• 10 fresh curry leaves
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 2  tbsp desiccated coconut
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp light brown sugar
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Method

• Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook until soft and then add the ginger, garlic, the cardamom seeds, the mustard seeds, the chilli, the curry leaves and the coconut.
• Cook for a couple of minutes, until the coconut is lightly browned and then add the tomatoes, the sugar and the balsamic vinegar.
• Simmer uncovered for about 20-30 minutes, until the chutney has thickened and reduced.
• Remove from the eat and place in a dish or bottle – it can be eaten warm, at room temperature or cold.

Tomatoes originated in South America and genetic  evidence shows that the first tomatoes were herbaceous green plants with little green fruit and that they grew in the highlands of Peru. They could have spread as a weed growing in between the  maize and beans cultivated by the early Peruvians (even rye and oats were considered weeds at one time or another) or it could have been traded with the seeds of the maize but the evidence on this point is simply inconclusive. One particular species of those early green tomatoes, somehow arrived in Mexico where it was grown and eaten by prehistoric humans – the first domesticated tomato was a little yellow fruit and in Aztec writings they mention that tomatoes were prepared with peppers, corn and salt – probably the original salsa recipe.

POLPETTE AL POMODORO

Ingredients

• 900 g minced beef
• 150g onion, finely chopped
• 2 lemons, grated zest only
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped origano
• 1 extra large free-range egg, beaten
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp virgin olive oil for frying

Sugo di pomodoro

• 2 x 400 g tins Italian tomatoes, chopped
• 4 preserved anchovy fillets
• 6 capers
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 110g small onions, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 200 g fresh mozarella, ripped into small pieces
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (be careful with the salt here because the anchovies are salty)

Method

• Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a heavy stainless steel saucepan over a gentle heat and add the onion, covering and sweating the onions for 4  minutes, until soft and golden in colour, allow  to cool.
• Mix the minced beef with the cold sweated onion and garlic, add the lemon zest, the oregano,  the herbs and the egg and season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide the mixture into small round balls, cover them and put in the fridge until you need them.
• To make the sauce, heat the oil in a pot or a saucepan, add the sliced onion, the anchovies, the capers, the crushed garlic and toss until everthing is coated, put on a lid fry until the onion is soft and translucent and the garlic not hasn’t taken on too much colour (you could continue until the garlic and onion is golden but that’s a matter of preference).
• Add the tinned tomatoes  to the onion mixture, season with salt and freshly ground pepper but take care with the salt and simmer  for about 30 mins until the tomato softens and during this time, make your polpette (meatballs).
• Heat the saucepan and fry the meatballs for about 10 minutes in about three tablespoons of virgin olive oil.
• Once cooked, put them into an oven dish with the sauce and top with the grated mozzarella – place under a pre-heated grill until the cheese has melted – be careful not to put it to near the grill because you want the cheese to melt before it darkens (sometimes when the grill is too hot, it burns it before the cheese is soft, so take care.
• Serve with bavette.

TOMATO AND PANCETTA SAUCE

Ingredients

• 8 vine ripened tomatoes (you can use a 400 g tin tomatoes if you need to), chopped
• 120 g smoked pancetta, cut into strips on the diagonal with a sharp knife
• 150ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 1 hot red chilli, finely chopped – remove the seeds if you have a sensitive palate
• 1 large handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
• Sea salt to taste
• Grated parmesan cheese to taste

Method

• Heat the oil and add the, pancetta strips, the chilli and the salt and cook until just soft,  add the tomatoes, the garlic and the basil.
• Simmer for about 15 minutes, stir, check and correct the seasoning and serve with pasta of your choice.

The Aztecs and all the other tribes in that region cooked with tomatoes and  it was already being farmed in Mexico and surrounds in 500 BC – the ancients firmly believed that anyone who watched someone eat tomato seeds would be blessed with the powers of divination. Originally the fruit was called called a wolfpeach because it was round and delicious like a peach and the wolf because it was believed to be poisonous.

SOUTH AFRICAN STYLED LAMB BURGERS

Ingredients

• 100 g lamb mince
• 2 slices of parma ham (or anything similar)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ½ tsp coriander seeds, ground
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp cumin seeds, ground
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 3 cardamom pods, seeds only, ground
• ½ green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp fruit chutney
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

• Combine all the  ingredients except the oil until well combined and then make the burgers, wrapping each one with a slice of parma ham – this recipe should make two big ones.
• Heat the barbecue or a heavy based pan, drizzle oil over the raw burgers and then fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown on both sides and cooked through (do not flip immediately, wait for the meat to sear properly otherwise bits will stick onto the pan or the grill).
• Serve as you would a burger.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE TOMATO

SPAIN

Once Spain colonized most of the Americas, she distributed the tomato throughout her colonies in the Caribbean and then sent it on to the Philippines,  southeast Asia and then the whole Asian continent.

EUROPE

It arrived in Europe courtesy of Spain and thrived in the Mediterranean climates where it was cultivated from about 1540 onwards.  The Europeans probably started eating it shortly after it was introduced – it was already being eaten by the early 1600s in Spain and shortly after that in Italy – the first cookbook with tomato recipes was published in Naples in 1692 but, the recipes were probably Spanish in origin because Spain was ruling Italy around the time – in places like Florence it was still being used solely as tabletop decoration until the late 17th or early 18th century.

SARDINIAN SAUSAGES AND TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients

Pasta

• 400g  penne
• Boil in plenty of salted water.

Sauce

• 600 g  chopped tomatoes (tinned or fresh)
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 300g  fresh Italian sausages, meat removed from the casing and crumbled
• 35g  dried porcini, soaked in water for half an hour, then finely chopped (keep the liquid)
• 3 tbsp white wine
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Method

• Fry the onions until soft and translucent and then add the sausages and the porcini mushrooms (ceps), allow to simmer for a minute or two and then add the tomatoes, the porcini liquid and the wine.
• Allow to cook for about 45 minutes – to 60 minutes until thick and the check and correc the seasoning.
• Boil the gnocchi until al dente, mix with the sauce and serve immediately.

BRITAIN

Cultivation only started around the 1590s when John Gerard, a barber-surgeon (you better believe it) published a book called Gerard’s Herbal in 1597, naturally courtesy of many sources on the continent. He insisted that the tomato was poisonous (he had a point, albeit a little one – tomato leaves do contain some poisonous glycoalkaloids, but the fruit is safe).  However, thanks to that tomatoes weren’t really eaten to often in Britain until the mid-1700’s when the “Encyclopædia Britannica stated that the tomato was “in daily use” in soups, broths, and as a garnish. In Victorian times, cultivation reached an industrial scale in glasshouses, most famously in Worthing. Pressure for housing land in the 1930s to 1960s saw the industry move west to Littlehampton, and to the market gardens south of Chichester. Over the past 15 years, the British tomato industry has declined as more competitive imports from Spain and the Netherlands have reached the supermarkets.”

MIDDLE EAST

John Barker, the British consul in Aleppo from about 1799 to 1825 introduced the fruit to the Middle East and it arrived in Iran (via Turkey and Armenia) and via the Qajar royal family who were in France very often. It was known as the Armenian eggplant in Iran at first and today it is known as the French plum.

NORTH AMERICA

The first time tomatoes were believed have been grown in North America was in 1710 when William Salmon first saw them in South Carolina – probably via the Caribbean and Thomas Jefferson, who ate tomatoes in Paris, sent some seeds back to America.

According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation the top tomato producers, in order,  are:

1. China
2. United States
3. Turkey
4. India
5. Egypt

There are a huge variety of tomatoes and they are usually categorized into shapes and sizes. The ones we normally see in the greengrocers are the slicing tomatoes, commonly known as beefsteak tomatoes and usually used for sandwiches. The plum shaped tomatoes are specifically bred to have more flesh and less seeds so that they can be used for sauces and pastes and the San Marzano for really gourmet sauces. Cherry tomatoes are really small and great for salads – as are the new kind of salad tomato, the grape tomato.  For interests sake we listed the most common cultivars below, courtesy of the internet, adapted:

• Andrew Rahart Jumbo Red (red beefsteak)
• Aunt Ruby’s German Green’ (spicy green beefsteak type)
• Azoykcha (Russian yellow variety)
• Backfield (deep red indeterminate beefsteak type)
• Beefsteak
• Big Boy (popular in the USA)
• Black Cherry(black/brown cherry)
• Black Krim (a purple-and-red cultivar from the Crimea)
• Box Car Willie (red beefsteak)
• Brandywine (a pinkish  beefsteak)
• Brandywine (red beefsteak, Sudduth strain)
• Burpee VF (an early attempt by W. Atlee Burpee at disease resistance in a commercial tomato)
• Cherokee Purple (purple beefsteak)
• Cherry Small, cherry shaped
• Crnkovic Yugoslavian (red beefsteak)
• Earl’s Faux (pink/red beefsteak)
• Early Girl (an early maturing globe type)
• Elbe (orange beefsteak)
• Gardener’s Delight (a smaller English variety)
• German Johnson (sweet beefsteak type)
• Great Divide (red beefsteak)
• Ispolin (pink Siberian strain)
• Juliet (an oblong cherry tomato)
• Lucky Cross’(bi-color red/orange)
• Marianna’s Peace (red beefsteak)
• Marmande (a heavily ridged variety from southern France)
• Moneymaker (an English greenhouse strain)
• Mortgage Lifter (a popular heirloom beefsteak known for gigantic fruit)
• Mortgage Lifter (red beefsteak, various strains)
• Patio(bred specifically for container gardens)
• Purple Haze (large cherry)
• Red Pear (pear shaped salad cherry type with beefsteak flavor)
• Roma VF(a plum tomato found in supermarkets)
• Rose’(very large sweet Amish beefsteak type)
• Rutgers (a commercial variety but considered an heirloom)
• San Marzano (a plum tomato popular in Italy)
• Santa F1 (a Chinese grape tomato hybrid)
• Shephard’s Sack (a large variety popular in Wales)
• Sungold F1 (sweet orange cherry variety)
• Sweet 100 (a very prolific, indeterminate cherry tomato)
• Urbikany (Siberian variety
• Yellow Pear” (a yellow, pear-shaped heirloom cultivar)

TOMATO MYTHS

• Until the 18^th century doctors believed that tomatoes caused appendicitis and stomach cancer because, according to them, the skins would stick to the stomach lining.
• Tomatoes were planted for ornamental reason and prizes were offered for the largest one gorwn annually in some parts of the world.
• On the 26^th of September  1820 a certain Colonel Johnson proved that tomatoes weren’t poisonous when he stood on the steps of the Salem courthouse in front of a crown of over 2,000 people and ate a whole basket of them without keeling over and dying.  bravely consumed an entire basket of tomatoes without keeling over or suffering any ill effects whatsoever.
• In 1842, farm journals still published articles that insisted tomatoes were just a passing craze and that people who planted them were absolutely stupid and wasting their time.
• In 1897, soup mogul Joseph Campbell created condensed tomato soup – and that put the company on the road to fame and fortune.
• The  first recipe for a tomato soup was has to be credited to Maria Parloa whose 1872 book The Appledore Cook Book describes her tomato chowder.
• The French referred to the tomato as pommes d’amour, or love apples, as they thought them to have stimulating aphrodisiacal properties.