Someone during an interview asked me….what was the one ingredient that I just could not live without. Foie Gras?,Truffles?, Lobster?
They were surprised when I simply answered …Tomatoes because they are so versatile.
In the UK National Tomato Week runs from May15th May 21st so I thought this would an ideal time to talk about perhaps is the most versatile ingredient known to man.
I’ve see misshapen tomatoes in Maryland that were large and full of flavour. I’ve cooked and used many varieties of tomatoes including, cherry, baby plums, vine-ripe, miniature red & yellow pear shaped….I’ve even made delicious dishes with green tomatoes.
Often in the winter months I oven dry tomatoes for various dishes to concentrate the flavour. Today there is such a wide variety to chose from and try so do try them all, I do encourage people to buy vine-ripened tomatoes if they can afford the extra expense, because they do have more taste.
History of Tomatoes
Tomatoes originate from the Andes in South America, where they grow wild in what is now Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador. They were first
cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 AD.
The English word 'tomato' comes from the Aztec word, tomatl.
Tomatoes first arrived in Europe in the 16th Century, although how they
got here is unclear. Some say that they were brought back from Central America by Spanish Conquistadors, while another legend suggests that
two Jesuit priests brought them to Italy from Mexico.
The first cultivated tomatoes were yellow and cherry-sized, earning them
the name golden apples: pommes d'or in French, pomi d'oro in Italian and
goldapfel in German. The Italian for tomatoes today is pomodoro which translates to love apple. The earliest known tomato soup recipe is actually called Love Apple Soup.
Tomatoes were originally grown in Britain and the rest of Europe as
ornamental climbers and were cultivated for their decorative leaves and
fruit. The first known British tomato grower was Patrick Bellow in 1554. The Elizabethans thought the bright red colour of tomatoes was a danger signal and the fruit poisonous. Popular 16th century English herbalists,such as John Gerard, saw no contradiction in writing that, while Spaniards and Italians ate tomatoes, the plant was nevertheless “of ranke and stinking savour”. He also went on to say
“In fact, tomatoes are members of the nightshade family (Solanaceae),
which includes henbane, mandrake and deadly nightshade (belladonna),
which are all poisonous. But potatoes, peppers and aubergines are also members of this plant family, as is tobacco. Nevertheless, we would not
advise anyone to eat the leaves of tomato plants or the small green fruits
sometimes found on potato plants.”
People were eating tomatoes without fatal consequences long before the fruit made its way to Europe, and even longer before it found its way back to the Americas with British colonists. There are reports of one John Gibbon Johnson wolfing down tomatoes on the courthouse steps of
Salem, New Jersey in 1820, in a public demonstration to prove their Edibility.
It was not until the 19th Century that commercial tomato cultivation began. The first glasshouses were built in Kent and Essex at this time,
after large-scale production of sheet glass was developed.
Tomatoes are now the most widely grown ‘vegetable’ in the world and are
cultivated as far north as Iceland and as far south as the Falkland Islands. Tomato seedlings have even been grown in Space and tomato
seeds, which spent six years circling the earth in a satellite, have been compared with others which had stayed at home. No significant
differences were found in the growth of plants from the two lots of seed.
Growing Methods
In Britain practically all tomatoes are grown commercially in glasshouses the largest being 22 acres in size.
Although some are still grown outdoors in Jersey (channel island). Heated glasshouses
allow the season to be extended from February until November.
Under outdoor conditions, tomatoes can only be cultivated between July and October in this country and success depends very much on what sort of a summer we have. Production is far higher under glasshouse conditions than from outdoor field crops, or crops grown under polythene in southern Europe.
Tomatoes are easily damaged by the wind, extremes of temperature or fluctuating weather conditions. Glasshouses offer not only a longer
growing season, but also provide shelter from the weather and protection from birds and animals.
Under glasshouse conditions, the aerial environment and crop irrigation
and nutrition are precisely controlled using computers. This also gives the opportunity to avoid disease infection and to use natural predators to control pests instead of sprays.
Simply by keeping the plants dry at all times, blight infection can be kept at bay. Closed irrigation systems are increasingly used i.e. excess irrigation and nutrients are re-cycled, while leaves and old plants are composted, rather
than being dumped. Cultural systems in Britain are designed to minimise any impact on the environment.
Bumblebees are used for pollination and pests are controlled using natural predators. These are introduced to the crop instead of using chemical sprays. British growers aim to use no pesticides and an increasing area of organic crops is being produced.
Flavour in tomatoes is related to the sugar and acid concentration in the fruit and to the organoleptic content (natural aromas and volatile
compounds). For the best flavour, high sugars and relatively high acids
are required.
The Health Benifits
Starting with the basics, tomatoes contain large amounts of vitamin C, providing 40 percent of the daily value (DV). They also contain 15 percent DV of vitamin A, 8 percent DV of potassium, and 7 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of iron for women and 10 percent RDA for men. The red pigment contained in tomatoes is called lycopene. This compound appears to act as an antioxidant, neutralizing free radicals that can damage cells in the body. Only recently, studies have revealed that lycopene may have twice the punch of another well-known antioxidant betacarotene. Studies conducted by Harvard researchers have discovered that men who consumed 10 servings of tomatoes a week, or the equivalent to 10 slices of pizza, can cut the risk of developing prostate cancer by a formidable 45 percent. However, its benefits are not limited to the prostate. Italian researchers have found that those who consume more that 7 servings of raw tomatoes lower the risk of developing rectal colon or stomach cancers by 60 percent. Israeli researchers have found that lycopene is a powerful inhibitor of lung, breast, and endometrial cancer cells. Research has also indicated that the lycopene in tomatoes can help older people stay active longer. New research is beginning to indicate that tomatoes may be used to help prevent lung cancer. Two powerful compounds found in tomatoes-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid-are thought to block the effects of nitrosamines. These are compounds that not only are formed naturally in the body, but also are the strongest carcinogen in tobacco smoke. By blocking the effects of these nitrosamines, the chances of lung cancer are reduced significantly.
Tomatoes with the most brilliant shades of red. indicate the highest amounts of betacarotene and lycopene. Though raw tomatoes are great for you, cooking them releases even more of the benefits. Lycopene is located in the cell wall of the tomato, so by cooking in a bit of oil, this healing compound is more fully released. In addition cooking the tomato in olive oil allows your body to absorb the lycopene better. Don’t worry about the availability of fresh tomatoes. Tomatoes don’t lose any of their nutritional value in the high heat processing , making canned tomatoes and tomato sauce are both just as viable and beneficial as fresh tomatoes.