The Travelling Tomato
- Botanical Name : Solanum lycopersicum
- Also Known As : Xitomatl, Tomate, Love Apple
- What Is A Tomato ? A fruit that belongs to the nightshade family.
- Tomatoes Are Commonly Used In : Salads, Sauces, Soups, Sandwiches, Pizza,.
- Origin : Western parts of South America.
How Tomatoes Have Influenced World Cuisines
Spanish traders and explorers brought back tomato specimens during the early 16th century. Little did they know that this fruit would become a fundamental ingredient in various international cuisine. Although this fruit was introduced to Europe in the 16th century, initially it wasn’t very popular. Tomato’s belong to the nightshade family which includes poisonous plants such as belladonna. Instead, tomatoes were considered an ornamental plant like artichokes. Pretty to look at but not yet appealing to the early modern appetites.
In Europe, it wasn’t until the 17th century that tomatoes became more widely accepted and people began experimenting with recipes. In the south of Italy, areas like Napoli introduced tomatoes through pasta sauces and pizza. This helped the rest of Europe feel comfortable in introducing tomatoes to their diet.
During the 16th century, Portuguese & Spanish explorers introduced tomatoes to Asia. Since then tomatoes have played an important role in various Asian Cuisines ; Indian, Filipino, Thai and Chinese.
Today tomatoes are used in recipes such as curry, chutneys, salads, & stir-fry’s.