tomato

(tuh-MAY-toh; tuh-MAH-toh) – One of the best things about summer is biting into a sweet, vine-ripened tomato.

At the beginning, the tomato plant was not accepted so readily, as it was believed to be poisonous-so much so that in 1820 the state of New York passed a law banning the consumption of tomatoes.  This belief was proven to be false by Mr. Robert Gibbon Johnson who took a bagful of tomatoes in a courtroom in Salem, New Jersey and ate the entire bagful before an incredulous public.  Some people, believing tomatoes to be poisonous, fully expected him to flop over dead and it is reported some older ladies became incontinent and young women fainted from the tension.

Debate has centered over whether the tomato is a vegetable or a fruit.  In 1887, the question went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in Nix vs. Hedden.  The real issue was money and protection for American growers; if tomatoes were vegetables, they could be taxed when imported under the Tariff Act of 1883.  It was decided that tomatoes are fruits, but the courts ruled on the side of American farmers.  Botanically speaking, tomatoes are the fruit of a vine, like cucumbers, squashes, beans, and peas.  But in the common language of the people, all these are vegetables, which are grown in backyard gardens and are usually served with dinner and not, like fruits, as dessert.  To learn about Tomatoes, check out Linda Stradley’s web page on Tomatoes.

  • History:

    It is believed that tomatoes were introduced from South America to Europe in the 1500s. The Aztecs, according to a contemporary account, mixed tomatoes with chilies and ground squash seeds, a combination that sounds a lot like the world’s first recipe for salsa.  Tomatoes arrived in Europe from central and northern America. Pietro Andrea Mattioli who gives an accurate description and calls them pomi d’oro dates the first mention of tomatoes in Italy 1544.

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