Tomatoes
Scientific Name: SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM
Native To: The tomato is native to Southern Mexico and all the way south to Peru. Some folks trace the original origin to the highlands in Peru and the Galapagos islands. The word tomato comes from a dialect of the Aztec language and translates into “wolf fruit.”
Tomato: Fruit or vegetable?
It is an age old question. Botanically speaking, the actual tomato is the ovary of the tomato plant and carries the seeds, thus it is technically a berry. Scientifically, it is a fruit along with other “vegetables” like squash and eggplants. However silly or playful we may find the question, it actually has its own bizarre and interesting history with legal implications. In the past it was common for U.S. tariff laws to impose duties on vegetables but not fruits from many countries. Importers took advantage of these laws by claiming tomatoes as fruits. This caused the U.S. Supreme Court to declare the tomato a vegetable for all import and legal situations.
Raw or cooked, the tomato is not bound by any rules at all in the kitchen. It is versatile and can be used in any cuisine, and it is not only for the savory meals; the tomato has been making a beautiful entry into the world of sweets and desserts as well.
Like a fine wine, describing the taste of an excellent tomato is a very difficult thing. The tomato is not simple; it has complex flavors and a wide array of subtle and intense under and overtones that change with every bite. The chemistry of the tomato is one of the most complex among all the vegetables and fruits. For this reason, some chemists believe that the perfect tomato is a rarity especially amongst the major corporate farms of today because tomatoes have been bred to travel and survive instead of being bred to taste great.
Tomatoes are low in saturated fat and sodium and very low in cholesterol. They are a good source of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B, folate and iron. They also contain a good amount of potassium, magnesium vitamins A and C, dietary fiber, and they are, of course, high in lycopene.