I say “to-may-to” and you say “to-mah-to.”
The only thing better than a homegrown tomato is two homegrown tomatoes. This time of the year we have the blessing of an abundance of juicy, drippy, sweet orbs of crimson delight. The long winter of pale, hard, tasteless cardboard things called tomatoes is just a distant memory. For these warm months, I can’t get enough tomatoes.
Culinary historians tell us that the tomato is a native of South America. The early Mesoamerican people named the fruit “tomatl” or swelling fruit. It is believed that the first tomatoes were yellow, not red, and were small, perhaps the size of modern cherry tomatoes. The explorer, Cortes, is often credited with bringing the tomato to Spain. Others have credited Christopher Columbus.
Regardless, the rapid spread of the tomato through Europe, the Caribbean and Asia came from the Spanish settling of these areas. The English were not exposed to the tomato until the 16th century. Since the tomato is a member of the nightshade family (the stem and leaves are poisonous), the English
originally believed that the tomato itself was poisonous as well. It was not until the 18th century that tomatoes were widely consumed in England.
Tomatoes have many interesting names. Sometimes known as the “love apple,” it’s the “foreign plum” in Iran. In certain parts of Europe the tomato was called the “wolf peach,” stemming from its being part of the nightshade family. Evidently, in early Germanic werewolf myths the werewolves were summoned using nightshade. My favorite name came from the Aztecs who called tomatoes “plump thing with a navel.”
Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable? From a botanical point of view, the tomato is a fruit. Most properly, it is a berry. However, given its use more as a salad or entrée, it is generally considered to be a vegetable.
In 1887 the United States imposed a tariff on fruits brought into the United States, but not on vegetables. The question – fruit or vegetable – eventually made it to the United States Supreme Court where the decision Nix v. Hedden officially declared the tomato to be a vegetable based on its common use as savory, not sweet.
Tomatoes, both the tomato itself as well as the plant, can be poisonous to dogs. The acid in tomatoes can cause lead to leach from pewter and will also pit silver. Some tomatoes, especially yellow tomatoes, are much less acidic than the red variety.
The latest thing in tomatoes is the surge of interest in heirloom tomatoes. During the last 40 years tomatoes have been developed to ship well, fit conveniently in cases and travel long distances. The heirloom varieties are not beautiful and perfect. In fact, some are real ugly ducklings. The heirlooms come in a range of colors – pink, orange, yellow, purple, brown, white, ivory and black. They have wonderful names like Green Zebra, Brandywine, Cherokee Purple and Hillbilly.
Last, but certainly not least, is the tomato’s amazing antioxidant properties. Tomatoes contain lycopene, which is believed to be an anti-cancer agent.
I know I will eat as many tomatoes as possible for the next few weeks – until the acid in them makes my mouth break out – because I know that once these beauties are gone, I’ll have to wait until next summer to get the real thing.
Tomato Jam
• 1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• Juice of one orange
• Zest of one orange
• 1 Tblsp. grated fresh ginger
Seasoning package – tied up in cheesecloth:
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp. whole allspice
• ½ tsp. whole cloves
• Pinch sea salt
• ½ tsp. dried red pepper flakes
Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring often. Take care that the mixture does not burn.
When the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the mixture has the texture of a thick jam. Remove the cheesecloth bag. Cool and refrigerate.
This is delicious served over cream cheese, with a pork roast or on a grilled cheese sandwich.
Fran Ginn is former chef/owner of The Back Door Café, who retired after 31 years in the food industry to be a grandmother. She can be contacted at fran@franginn.com.
