All About Tomato (2024)

The US Supreme Court might’ve ruled that tomatoes are avegetable, but botanically speaking, they’re a fruit—a berry, to be exact.

Countries across the world use tomatoesas a key ingredient in their dishes, but this wasn’t always the case. Forinstance, the people of Florence, Italy used tomatoes as mere tabletopdecoration until the late 17^th century. Americans didn’t harvesttomatoes until 1835 because of the belief they were poisonous. Despite theirlukewarm, wary reception in some countries, they’re grown throughout the worldtoday and are a pantry staple.

Tomatos are native to SouthAmerica, and it’s believed the Pueblos harvested them as early as 500BC. Thefruit came to India by way of Portuguese explorers during the early 16^thcentury. Because tomatoes thrive in warm, sunny conditions with no severefrost, the plants took well to Indian soils.

Figures from 2010 show India as the world’s third largestgrower of tomatoes, producing nearly 12 million tonnes. The NationalHorticulture Board gives a higher figure, estimating India’s production to becloser to 14 million.

Andhra Pradesh leads tomato growth in India by coveringapproximately 35 percent of the country’s production, or, almost 6 milliontonnes. Trailing a far distant second is Karnataka, at 1.8 million tonnes.Other top tomato producing states in India are Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar,Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and Jharkhand, respectively.

India grows several varieties of tomatoes, from the smalllively cherry tomato bursting with juice to the large, fibrous beefsteak. Themost common tomato varities are beefsteak, cherry, heirloom, roma and pear.

A few of the 7,500 tomato varieties grow in India, many withrather peculiar names: “best of all,” fire ball, desi Dixon, king humbere, romaand red cloud are a few examples.

Tomatoes are one of the most common fruits in India, perhapsmore ubiquitous than the banana. Though tomatoes are rarely placed alongsideother fruits, they will invariably be found next to their best Indiancomplements: onions and garlic. Tomatoes are one of the cheapest fruits, likelybecause of the ease in which they grow. Tomatoes are available year-round.

Shops large and small sell tomatoes, from the villagerselling them in large wicker baskets to mega marts selling them chilled withthree other variants. The tomato’s popularity is no doubt due to its necessityin several Indian staples such as rasam, a peppery tomato broth served overrice; and dal, a thick blend of lentils and occasional tomato served withchapatis. Just as the Italians couldn’t imagine the absence of tomato in pastadishes and pizzas, neither could Indians fathom a meal without its presence.

Tomatoes come in several colors, from pale yellowish greento deep purple. Thus, color is one of the least reliable indicators of atomato’s ripeness: Besides, many tomates are plucked when green and underripe,and are then gassed to ripen artificially.

In smaller tomatoes, look for taut, uniform, shiny skin.Some of the larger variants may have velvety skin, but all tomatoes shouldmaintain uniformity with no obvious bruising or molding near the stem. Selecttomatoes that feel heavy for their size.

Additionally, the best tomatoes have a basil-like mildlyspicy aroma when ripe: if possible, avoid selecting chilled tomatoes, as thismasks the fragrance and reduces the quality in taste.

Tomatoes are one of the few fruits with a notably saltytaste. In fact, its savory, low-sugar flavor profile is the primary reason forits legal classification as a vegetable in the United States. Indeed, therobust, slightly acidic flavor is better suited for hearty dishes instead ofsweets and desserts. Several factors affect the overall shape and taste of atomato, including temperature, access to sunlight, and soil salinity.

The taste of tomatoes varies greatly between cultivars.Cherry tomatoes tend to be both sweeter and sourer than larger varieties. Theyare also juicer and pulpier than many heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes.

Roma tomatoes share many characteristics with cherrytomatoes: it too is juicy, sweet and tangy. The high pulp makes romas bettersuited for sauces and purees than for slicing.

Heirlooms are unpredictable in color and taste, which is onereason for their growing popularity. Indeed, heirlooms have a multifaceted,robust flavor: Many claim they had never tasted a true tomato until they bitinto an heirloom.

Beefsteaks are the dullest and flattest in flavor, but theirlow juice and ability to maintain their integrity when cut make them prized forsandwiches and for stuffed tomato recipes.

According to the USDA nutrient database, 100g of tomatoescontain the following values:

18kcal

3.9g Carbohydrate

1.2g Fiber (5% RDI)

.2g Fat (neg)

.9g Protein (2% RDI)

833IU Vitamin A (17% RDI)

12.7mg Vitamin C (21% RDI)

.5mg Vitamin E (3% RDI)

7.9mcg Vitamin K (10% RDI)

Thiamin (2% RDI)

.6mg Niacin (3% RDI)

.1mg Vitamin B6 (4% RDI)

15mcg Folate (4% RDI)

11mg Magnesium (3% RDI)

24mg Phosphorous (2% RDI)

237mg Potassium (7% RDI)

.1mg Copper (3% RDI)

.1mg Manganese (6% RDI)

Tomatoes are one of the lowest-calorie fruits, containing amere 18kcal per 100 grams. Its low-fat, low-sugar profile isn’t the only reasonfor why tomatoes are so healthy: they also contain high amounts of vitamin A, Cand even Vitamin K.

According to the book, “Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing,”tomatoes provoke all doshas and practitioners warn of its toxicity to thesystem. Authors Usha and Vasan Lad warn against tomato consumption for thosewith arthritic conditions, kidney problems and gallstones. Despite thesewarnings, the book suggests drinking tomato juice to aid digestion, mentalfatigue, insomnia, breathlessness, chest pain and for weight control.

Other sources have more positive things to say regarding thetomato. Lisa Turner, author of the book, “Meals that Heal,” explain thatstudies show people who consume tomatoes regularly are less likely to developseveral types of cancers. Additionally, she cites a study from a cancerresearch center finding that cancer patients who regularly ate tomatoes(amongst other vegetables) doubled their survival time compared to those whodidn’t eat the fruit as often.

Tomatoes contain high amounts of lycopene, an antioxidantthat has repeatedly shown scientists its ability to ward off cancers, fightaging, and stave off other degenerative diseases.

Tomatoes can be cut a number of ways: diced, into rings, sliced,or halved and de-fleshed. Use a sharp, serrated knife for best results. Todice, use a low-pulp tomato like the beefsteak. Cut in half and gently squeezethe juice from the tomato. Then, cut the halves into quarters, and then linethe slices together skin-side down. Cut into small pieces.

Tip: soak non-organic tomatoes in a vinegar and saltsolution to cleanse them of dirt and pesticides.

Though many people place tomatoes in the refrigerator, thisis actually one of the least effective ways to store the fruit: the shelf life isminimally expanded at the high cost of taste. After only a few days,refrigerated tomatoes taste insipid and the texture is mealy.

Keep tomato flavor rich and robust by placing the fruits ina basket lined with either newspaper or paper towels—never in a plastic bag, asthis promotes mold. Avoid placing the bowl in places of extreme temperaturefluctuations, such as near stoves or by the window in direct sunlight. If thespace is humid, be sure to rotate the tomatoes in the bowl daily: this willprevent bruising.

Chefs have a harder time thinking of a dish that could exclude the tomato; not feature it.Indeed, tomatoes make an unconventional addition to chocolate cakes, icecreams, flans, ganache, and yes, cupcakes too.

But of course, tomatoes have a home in several Indiandishes: good luck making rasam, biryani, dals and mulligatawny without one. Thefruit makes several cameos in curries, salads and rice dishes.

--Add chopped tomatoes for salsa recipes, bruschetta,guacamole, omelets, and salads. Foldinto rice dishes and hummus dips as well.

--Add tomato rings to sandwiches, quiches,ratatouille

--Sautee tomatoes as part of a stir fry

--Stew tomatoes for marinaraand as the basis of many other sauces,be it for Italian pizzas, Moroccan tagine, or for Ethiopian stew.

--Puree tomatoesfor pastes and soups. Pureed tomatoes also serve as the basis for creative dessertideas mentioned above.

--Dehydrate them or add sundried tomatoes into dips, flatbread and flax crackers.

Lemon, lime, garlic, basil, thyme, oregano, cumin,coriander, mustard seed, turmeric

As was the case in the United States, India considered theintroduction of a genetically modified tomato in 2010 that was capable oflasting 45 days. The long shelf life is made possible by silencing two genesthat trigger softness, and therefore the ones that facilitate in its decay.

A long shelf life tomato variety predates its arrival inIndia, as Israel grew a similar variety. The US sold long-lasting “Flavr Savrs”until they were pulled off the shelves in 1997 due to lack of sales. Whetherthis variety will catch on in India depends on obtaining clearance from thecountry’s regulatory committee—a process that may take between 3 and 5 years.

The larger a tomato grows, the more difficult it becomes forthe fruit to maintain a perfectly round shape. This is why cherry tomatoes arealmost always perfectly round, while beefsteak and heirlooms are oftenmisshapen.

Tomati

Tomato, eggplant, bell pepper