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History & General DiscussionTomatoes are clearly a fruit, botanically. In culinary practice they are a vegetable (botany doesn't define "vegetable", so botanists can't complain about this). In 1893 the US Supreme Court ruled that tomatoes are a vegetable and the US Department of Agriculture classifies them as such. The wild ancestor of domesticated tomatoes is native to Peru and Ecuador, They were grown as a crop in both areas by 500 BCE and probably a lot earlier. The Spanish took tomatoes to the Philippines, from where they spread to Southeast Asia. They also took them to the Caribbean and to Spain, where cultivation began in about 1540. From there they spread to Italy. Some of these early varieties were yellow or orange, resulting in the name "golden apples" in several languages. When I was in elementary school in New Jersey, our teachers told us Europeans were so ignorant they thought tomatoes were poisonous. They were far less ignorant than our teachers, immediately recognizing tomatoes as a close relative of the sometimes deadly Black Nightshade. That didn't stop them from eating them though. By 1544 they were described as edible and as "a new variety of eggplant" (another nightshade berry that was initially suspect). Americans were more ignorant, though, and didn't accept tomatoes as edible until about 1850. Early tomato sauces were simmered for a long time because that's how Europeans were accustomed to detoxifying Black Nightshade berries for use in pies. Today we know the tomato berry is not toxic (though the rest of the plant is mildly toxic), and tomato sauces may be short cooked or even raw - unless you subscribe to Michio Kushi's Macrobiotics theories which hold them to be so toxic that I must have died decades ago from eating so many of them. Tomatoes are plentiful now but flavor has been developed out of commercial varieties. While agricultural colleges and industrial farms concentrated on durability, mechanical picking and shelf life, without regard to flavor, the real culprit was appearance. In the '50s, a variety was found with a genetic trait that caused it to ripen evenly, rather than being green on top. This even ripening trait was bred into almost all commercial tomato varieties. It has recently been found that this trait also suppresses sweetness and other flavoring traits. The only way to get really tasty tomatoes is to grow heirloom varieties yourself, or buy them from small growers at farmer's markets. Tomato developers are attempting to get the flavor back in without sacrificing even ripening, but say it's a very difficult task. In Florida, powerful (read: "big political contributors") tomato growers have conspired to prevent competition from more flavorful Mexican tomatoes. Their politician pals have been happy to help with legislation (like packaging laws that guarantee ripe tomatoes will be crushed). To quote the head of a big Florida grower, "Who cares about flavor in tomatoes, they're always served with something else" (Wall Street Journal article back in the early '80s). In the United States, California and Florida dominate the fresh tomato
market, split about even. In addition, California produces about 90% of
all tomatoes used for canning and processing, while Florida grows almost
none for that purpose. Mexico is the main competitor to both states, but
other states produce modest amounts, mostly for processing.
Varieties - WildAll domesticated tomatoes belong to a single species, Solanum lycopersicum, a member of the Solanum branch of the Solanaceae or Nightshade Family. Wild tomatoes belong to different species, but cross breeding is still possible. Current Tomato![]() This wild tomato is considered to be the ancestor of the
domesticated tomato. It is native to Ecuador and Peru, but has been
introduced elsewhere. It's berries are edible and it is often grown as
an heirloom tomato, though still considered wild. It crosses freely
with domesticated tomatoes, and is very important to breeding tomato
cultivars, espeically for disease resistance, as the gene pool of the
domesticated tomato is rather shallow.
Photo by KENPEI distributed under license Creative
Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported.
Galapagos Tomato![]() This wild tomato is native to the Galapagos Islands, where it
developed in isolation. Both its foliage and fruit are a paler color than
its nearest relative, the Current Tomato, but the fruit still tastes like
tomatoes, and is edible.
Photo by Kevin Gepford distributed under license Creative
Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike v4.0 International.
Varieties - DomesticatedColors of Tomatoes![]() Beefsteak![]() Campari Tomato![]() Cherry Tomato![]() For a while these were hailed as the savior of flavor in commercial
tomatoes, but the tomato industry quickly learned how to make flavorless
cherry tomatoes. They are still usually more flavorful than Mass Market
Tomatoes, but the Grape Tomato has overtaken them in the markets. They
are usually a two chamber fruit (as shown in photo), but sometimes three
chambers. For salads, I usually cut them once crosswise if small, and
the halves once lengthwise if large.
Cluster Tomatoes![]() The claim is that cluster tomatoes, left on the stem, will continue to
draw nourishment and will ripen better, but this amounts to yet another
hoax put over on the wannabe gourmets. Nothing can fix a hothouse
tomato. Stick to the small ones, or even good quality field grown
Mass Market tomatoes left out on the counter to ripen for about 4 days.
Clusters are not waxed, so they dehydrate quickly and you should plan
on using them up within 2 or 3 days.
Fresno Tomatoes![]() Of course, ripe, juicy and thin skinned means they cannot survive the
rough handling most commercial tomatoes suffer, and they may have various
cosmetic inperfections. The one to the left in the photo was 3-7/8 inches
diameter, 3 inches high and weighed 13-7/8 ounces. They were purchased
from a large multi-ethnic market in Los Angeles (Sunland) for 2016 US
$0.99 / pound.
Grape Tomatoes![]() These tomatoes have become much more common than Cherry Tomatoes here in Southern California. Buy them from a bin if you can, so you can check firmness. If they are at all soft, they will be inferior in flavor and texture, but if firm, most have excellent flavor. Most sold are red, but other colors are available. In general, yellow ones have the least flavor and red ones have the most, with orange ones in between. These tomatoes are usually "two chambered" (see example to the left
in photo). I usually cut them in half crosswise for use in salads. They
are usually up to 1-1/4 inch long, 7/8 inch diameter and weigh about 6
to the ounce (20/100 grams).
Green Tomatoes![]() Green tomatoes were thought to contain significant amounts of
solanine neurotoxins, but this is not well supported in medical
literature. They do contain the much less dangerous alkaloid tomatine,
but there are no reports of persons harmed.
Green Zebra Tomatoes![]() "Heirloom" Tomatoes![]() Most "heirloom" tomatoes are not actually older varieties, but recently developed varieties that imitate them - and may or may not have been developed from older varieties. The main requirements are better flavor, odd colors, weird shapes and maybe a few healed cracks. According to the Los Angeles Times (07-2004), supermarket growers had
noticed a market for "heirloom" tomatoes, and by 2006 some supermarkets
were selling Copia and Costoluto Genovese for 2006 US $7.00 / pound.
These are very striking in appearance, but are more suitable for tomato
sauces and tomato paste than for salads and general eating.
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes![]() Hothouse Tomatoes![]() Supermarket chains post absurd prices for these, but their flavor will
not improve much even set out on the counter for a few days. That is not to
say they don't have uses - let them sit until they're really soft and use
them to pelt politicians. The photo specimens were purchased from a big
multi-ethnic market in Los Angeles (Sunland), probably the ones that weren't
perfect enough for Gelson's, and sold them for 2016 US $0.99 / pound. This
market, and other markets I shop at, haven't carried these for years (2023).
Mass Market Tomatoes![]() Standard supermarket tomato varieties like "Red Rock" were developed by agricultural researchers to withstand machine picking, rough handling, long transportation, and still look pretty. They paid no attention to flavor, admitting they thought that would take care of itself. They've recently discovered that the genetic trait that causes even ripening, now incorporated in most market varieties, is also a trait that robs tomatoes of sweetness and flavor. Due to consumer complaints, there is now (2012) significant development effort devoted to flavor, but the problem is complex and commercial results are expected to come slowly. I've seen some improvement here in California, and I see more varieties that don't ripen evenly, but they are still often picked too green and remain whitish inside. The situation may be much worse in Florida, where the president of a huge tomato grower made this statement to the Wall Street Journal, "Who cares if a tomato has any flavor, it's always served with something else". Select good quality Market Tomatoes that are firm and without bruises or soft spots. If possible, sample them before buying many, different batches from the same market are often quite different. I've found that certain markets more often have good tasting ones than other markets - it depends on their sources. I buy them from a high volume produce store and select various stages of ripening for a steady supply. Market Tomatoes should be quite juicy with big seed cavities full of liquid rather than solid with small or dry cavities. You're better off with a touch of green at the stem end than over-ripe, and avoid those with a uniform pale pink color. Set them out on a non-porous shelf or counter out of direct sunlight for a few days and you'll have tomatoes much better than expensive Hothouse Tomatoes. Mass Market Tomatoes are always thinly coated with an edible wax to
give them better shelf life, and I've had some last over a month sitting
on the counter, until all the seeds inside were sprouted and trying to
burst through the skin. Tomato sprouts contain a small amount of toxin
to which some people are sensitive. I've sampled tomatoes with sprouted
seeds without ill effect, but the flavor will have both changed and
declined.
Mexican Green Tomato- [Tomatillo]![]()
Not a tomato but a Physalis, see Tomatillo.
Roma![]() Romas are small elongated "Plum Tomatoes", which may be pear shaped or heart shaped, typically 2-3/4 inches long and 1-1/4 inch diameter, weighing about 3 ounces. They were developed by the USDA in the 1950s. Generally they are red, but occasionally yellow or orange are available, but those have less intense tomato flavor. Roma tomatoes are often canned with a bit of Basil. They are preferred for Italian sauces and much other cooking because they have a high percentage of solids and little juice - which means they aren't that good for eating raw or for salads, but they still may be better than poorly ripened regular tomatoes. California grown Romas sold fresh (most sold in North America) have thick skins ane are quite sturdy ripe. This makes them durable for shipping, but they may be less tasty than those called for in European and African recipes. For such recipes, I often ignore the demand for "Italian Plum Tomatoes" and use an equal weight of the best regular tomatoes. To peel, give them a little longer in boiling water (1-1/4 minutes
total) than for most tomatoes. California Romas for the canning industry
are different, with thiner skins, and are picked fully ripe. This can
give canned tomatoes much better flavor for sauces and similar recipes.
California Central Valley canned Romas have proven consistently superior
to Marzanos imported from Italy.
Roso Bruno Tomato![]() This is a patented variety grown by Dulcinea Farms in California. The San José Mercury News called them a "New Taste Sensation" and worth ever bit of the US 2006 $3.99 / pound they were selling for up there in Yuppyville. My local produce market in Los Angeles (Sunland) was selling them then for between $.69 and $.89/pound. Of course showing off to your friends that you paid just $3.99/pound for hyped tomatoes may be an important consideration in San José. So how do they taste? Pretty decent for hothouse tomatoes, but there's
only so good hothouse tomatoes get. Leave good quality field grown Mass
Market Tomatoes on the counter to ripen for a few days and you can beat
the flavor. They have to be grown in hothouses because of the patent
nonsense. By now (2016) they seem to have disappeared from the general
market here in Southern California - I haven't seen one for years -
color it passé.
San Marzano Tomatoes![]() This Tomato, possibly brought from Peru to Italy in 1770, was introduced commercially in 1926. It is now the dominant canning tomato in Italy. Compared to North American "Roma" tomatoes, it has thicker flesh, fewer seeds, stronger taste, and is less acidic. It is more elongated, often a little more pointy, and usually has the stem third smaller in diameter than the middle third. Many Italian cookbooks for the North American market insist Italian San
Marzano canned tomatoes are the best and must be used for authentic
Italian recipes. Use of this tomato may be why, in properly conducted blind
tastings, California Central Valley canned tomtoes beat the pants off the
Italian product every time. The Italians used to claim it was because the
California product used Calcium Chloride (a firming agent) they were not
allowed to use. Now they are, and the results have been the same.
Photo by Assianir distributed under license Creative
Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported.
San Marzano Mini Plum Tomatoes![]()
Grown specially for the Yuppie market, these have little to recommend
them except the prestigious Italian name and unusual shape. They are
drier, fleshier and less flavorful than regular California Grape or
Cherry Tomatoes. They are up to 1-7/8 inches long and 7/8 inch diameter
at the widest part, weighing a little over 2.2 to the ounce. The photo
specimens were hothouse grown in Canada and distributed by Trader Joe's
at 2016 US $4.46 / pound. The photo also includes a regular medium
tomato weighing 6-1/4 ounces, sold for $0.99 / pound, which tasted a
lot better.
Siberian Tomato![]() Strawberry Tomato![]() Tomatillo- [Mexican Green Tomato]![]()
Not a tomato but a Physalis, see Tomatillo.
"Vine Ripened"![]() Tomato ProductsCanned Tomatoes:![]() These products contain only tomatoes, salt and occasionally a basil leaf or two. For making sauces, the farther down the list from Whole Canned Tomatoes you go, the more sauce a can will make, but the flavor will be increasingly darker and it will splatter more during cooking.
Stewed Tomatoes:These are sliced tomatoes (half way between whole and diced) with flavoring ingredients similar to those in a simple Tomato Sauce, but often way too much of it. They are packed in tomato juice. You're a lot better off starting with whole canned tomatoes, cutting them into chunks and adding your own seasonings.Tomato Sauce![]() There are many much more complex "Gourmet" sauces on the market, but
I never use them. It's just way too easy to make better sauces starting
with canned tomatoes. Many claim to be "Italian", but are really
"Italian American", a cuisine despised by real Italians. Some of the
commercial sauces have an angry flavor, and most will splatter badly
when heated. "Gourmet" tomato sauces can contain just about anything,
so long as tomatoes are a major ingredient.
Sun Dried Tomatoes![]() Today, more efficient methods are used but the basics are still the same - and some are now available without the olive oil. The photo specimen is from Trader Joe's - no country of origin, so it's pretty certain it wasn't Italy. Due to similarity with some other products, I suspect it was from Fresno. Ingred: Sun Dried Roma Tomatoes, Pure Olive Oil, Garlic, Herbs, Spices, Sulphur Dioxide (for color retention). In my opinion, the Garlic, Herbs and Spices pretty much overwhelm the tomato flavor in this product. Dried Tomatoes![]() Tomato Ketchup![]()
Ketchup is held in high favor by children, because it has more sugar
than ice cream - it's sort of tomato flavored candy. By federal law,
if your product doesn't have that much sugar it can't be called
"ketchup". This was a ploy by the food industry to "standardize" the
product so they didn't have to reveal on the label that it was about
1/3 sugar (other ingredients are water, salt, vinegar, spices, and, yes,
tomatoes). For details see our
Tomato Ketchup page.
Health & NutritionFollowers of Michio Kushi's Macrobiotic movement condemn tomatoes as dangerously toxic and highly destructive to the human organism (along with potatoes, eggplants, chilis and tropical fruit). Since I eat vast amounts of fresh tomatoes, (raw, with Sukang Iloco vinegar and a little salt), tomato sauces, and recipes with plenty of tomatoes in them, I should at least be on my deathbed by now. Of course, you don't want to eat a lot of green tomatoes that aren't well cooked, or any of the foliage, as these contain toxins to which some people are quite sensitive. Tomatoes contain the important antioxidant Licopene, and are by far the richest source of Licopene in the American diet (Gac fruit has a lot more, but try finding that at your local market). This antioxidant has been shown to contribute to resistance to some cancers (including prostate cancer), heart disease, osteoporosis and decline in cognitive function with age. Cooking tomatoes increases the amount and bio-availability of licopene. Tomatoes also contain plenty of vitamin C and A, and are quite high in potassium - more than bananas. Potassium helps lower blood pressure and counters the ill effects of excessive sodium. Green tomatoes, seed sprouts and foliage were said to contain significant amounts of the neurotoxin solanine, but this is not well supported by medical literature. I've eaten modest amounts of green tomatoes raw without any ill effects. |