It is hard to imagine that Italy or Spain had no interest in tomatoes, and not even so long ago. Tomato can be traced back to the Incas, though reportedly less beloved than tomatillo, who cultivated it in the Andes of South America. Tomato was first brought to Europe, along with other New World plants like corn and potatoes, by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. This fruit, which the Aztecs called xitomatl, meaning round fruit, was so foreign to Europeans, says Giulia Marinelli (a guide at the Museo del Pompodoro), that Italians weren’t even sure which part of the plant was meant to be eaten. It was considered poisonous by many.
Being in the nightshade family, along with bell peppers, potatoes, eggplants, and belladonna (some very poisonous), might have contributed to that belief. In Europe in the 1700s tomatoes even got the nickname “the poison apple”, after the natural acid of the tomato reacted with the plate made of pewter (at that time an alloy of tin and lead), a reaction that made many people sick and unwell. In their eyes, the only culprit was the suspected “poison apple”. And for the longest time, tomato got no respect and no love. It wasn’t food. Some even went so far as to refuse to touch or handle tomatoes, for fear that they might be cursed.
Fast forward to English and French, who labeled the tomato love apple or pommes d’amour. Why they labeled it like that is up for discussion, but it could be due to some alleged aphrodisiac properties or due to its resemblance to the human heart. William Alexander concludes, that it might be much simpler than that: “Pomodoro was heard by foreigners as something like pom’amoro—“love apple.” End of story.”
“What spurred Italians to start eating them? Was it a cultural change, or had the tomato changed?” Alexander asks Giulia Marinelli.
She thinks for a moment. “It was many things. But, you know, in America, in the early 19th century, they did, let’s say, shows, to let people understand that the fruit was not poisonous.”
Who knew?
If you are interested in an entertaining history of tomatoes supported by meticulous research, read Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World by William Alexander.
Today, finally, tomato is much loved, adored, and a staple food all over the world. Especially the heirloom tomatoes that are having a big comeback. Once upon a time what we call heirloom tomatoes were simply tomatoes and their seeds passed on from generation to generation in private homes, gardens, and between neighbors. Heirlooms can be a true revelation with delicious flavors, a striking array of shapes, and meticulous differences between red, yellow, and green ones. Each type has a name, a long history, and a special story to tell. They are open-pollinated, and their seeds are stable. If you save seeds from an heirloom and plant them, the resulting plant will produce fruit like its parent, which is not the case with the hybrid. Heirloom tomatoes are special because their DNA hasn’t been manipulated, like most of the tomatoes we find in the grocery store. Grocery store tomatoes have been manipulated to look red, round, and plump, with a hard shell to endure transportation and a long shelf life. Unfortunately, they became watery, flavorless, and tasteless.
For decades it was nearly impossible to buy a heirloom tomato. The only way to get one was from a good neighbor who grew the plants, collected the seeds, and was willing to share some of them. Today there are hundreds of varieties that one can order from dozens of websites. The great thing about heirloom is that one can save the tomato seeds and thus plant and reproduce them continuously (and even pass them through generations). If you would like to start growing and maintaining your heirloom tomatoes Tatiana's TOMATObase is a great start for ordering seeds online. Besides tomatoes, she offers thousands of open-pollinated vegetable varieties.
Our tomato harvest was magnificent this year, and we were devouring what felt like a ton of tomato salads throughout the summer. At the height of the tomato season, I made simple, rich, and delicious tomato sauce with basil to have in the pantry during the winter season. It is like packing away a bit of the summer days for cold and dark days ahead. Finally, I was admiring the last of these glistening beauties and as the weather shifted already, decided to make a hearty warming oven-baked tomato soup.
Tomato’s best friend is without a doubt a good quality extra virgin olive oil. I was pleasantly surprised by a small producer, Ota Olive Oil, located in the coastal city of Trieste in northeastern Italy. Two siblings, who have been around olive trees since childhood are creating limited editions of extra virgin olive oil, personally working in every production phase, from cultivation, harvest, and bottling, all the way to label design. A truly quality extra virgin olive oil, and a beautifully designed one too. I adore and love to support stories like these as the obvious choice is quality over quantity. Less is more, always.
OVEN ROASTED TOMATO SOUP
Ingredients (2 servings):
400 g tomatoes
1 onion
1 garlic cloves
a few twigs of fresh thyme
a few twigs of fresh oregano
a few twigs of fresh rosemary
2-3 bay leaves
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 burrata
20 g black olives
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 200°C (392° F). Wash, dry, and halve the tomatoes. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, keeping the cut side upwards. Add the garlic cut into smaller pieces. Add the peeled and cut onion. Add fresh thyme, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.
Bake the tomatoes for about 40 minutes, until soft and tender. Let cool slightly. Then put everything from the baking tray in a stand mixer, add fresh basil (reserve a few leaves for decoration), and mix until smooth and creamy. Add a bit of spring water, if necessary. If desired, reheat the soup, and adjust salt, pepper, and olive oil to your liking. Serve in individual bowls with burrata, olives, and basil leaves. Generously sprinkle with more extra virgin olive oil.