The Humble Tomato
Origins
This humble fruit (known as a vegetable to many) is the source of so much joy and excitement, in more ways than you can imagine.
The journey of the tomato started in the early Aztec era where they used it in many aspects of cooking. To foreigners it was considered a poisonous item and was avoided for many years. Then some Spanish entrepreneurs brought tomatoes back to Spain and started introducing it to the rest of Europe and the western world. It was originally classified as a vegetable by the American government so as to collect taxes during imports as opposed to a tax free fruit. For some reason, the notion of it being a vegetable remained for many years.
Most people agree that the tomato is one of the most widely used fruits in cooking. It sure has got a wide reach as it’s used in Mexican, Indian, Italian cuisines, to name a few. Before we get into food, let’s explore some of the other uses of tomatoes.
Three tomatoes are walking down the street - a papa tomato, a mama tomato and a little baby tomato. Baby tomato starts lagging behind. Papa tomato get angry, goes over to Baby tomato and squishes him.....and says 'Ketchup!’ - Uma Thurman in 'Pulp Fiction' (1994)
Entertainment
La Tomatina is a food festival with a twist held in a town in Spain once a year. It’s famous for one reason, a massive tomato throwing fight. Flocks of people have been visiting this small town for over 75 years to literally paint the town red.
Oh Tomato. I love you from my head to-ma-toes
Work
For those that have not heard about the Pomodoro Technique, do yourself a favour and read into it… it’s a time management tip that really does work. Simple to learn, even easier to practise and a productivity booster for your day to day work.
Q: Why Did The Tomato Blush? A: Because he saw the salad dressing
Health
Why are tomatoes so damn good for you? Tomatoes are packed full of nutrients including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Including tomatoes in your diet can help protect against cancer, maintain healthy blood pressure, and reduce blood glucose in people with diabetes. I’m not a nutritionist so don’t take my word for it… read Medical News Today, or a bunch of other articles and studies which I’ve linked below.
“Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” - Miles Kington
Drinks
The obvious candidate here is to juice some tomatoes and make it into a drink. Delicious. This can then be used as a base for other drinks such as a Bloody Mary cocktail, with simple ingredients of tomato juice, vodka, lemon and spices.
How about trying something different… There’s actually a technique where you can make a clear drink from tomatoes which can be chilled and drunk on a warm day to refresh you. The drink is called Tomato Consommé and you can find many recipes for this online. My favourite is the one from Jamie Oliver’s show, Jamie’s At Home. All links are below as per usual.
Food
As a base
Just think about a typical base where you sauté some onions in oil, add some tomatoes and then spruce up with herbs and spices. You can take this so many different ways. Use basil or oregano to make it Italian. Add lemon and parsley to make it Greek. Coriander would take it down a Mexican route and adding fennel, mustard seeds and turmeric as well changes it from Mexican to Indian.
In Indian cooking, the tomato is used as the base for many varieties of curries. Mexican folks take it a different direction by using it as a base for yummy enchiladas, chimichangas and burrito filling. Whereas the Italians are famous for the basic tomato, garlic and basil combo used for pizzas and pastas.
As The star of the dish
Tomatoes are delicious on their own and are eaten in many dishes where they are the star of the dish.
A good roasted tomato soup on a cold winter's day is an awesome way to enjoy this fruit. How about as a tomato salsa to complement a plate of nachos. Or, my personal favourite, some home made tomato bruschetta. Yum yum.
Even more basic than that, if you are lucky enough to be invited to an Indian family dinner, they will inevitably serve the meal with a side salad of sliced tomatoes and onions with some fennel and coriander spices sprinkled over.
If you haven’t gathered already by this blog, tomatoes are super versatile. I have grilled them on a barbecue with a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. That goes down a treat. Or you can go the fried green tomatoes route and deep fry these bad boys. I’ve even got a mate who enjoys them straight out of a tin.
As a sauce or relish
Tomato flavours intensify when cooked down. That’s why they make a great base for condiments such as the gold old tomato ketchup or a delicious tomato relish.
Growing tips
The final section I wanted to go through was growing tips. Tomato plants are hardy and super easy to grow. This probably attributes to why they are so heavily consumed. They hold up well in many different climates and are self pollinating. Just slice up a tomato and replant it in a combo of soil and potting mix. You should get some fruit within 2 months, depending on the season and conditions.
Tips
If buying tin tomatoes, buy the ones with whole tomatoes and not diced tomatoes as you will get a better grade of tomatoes.
Add a pinch of salt to your chopped tomatoes when putting into a salsa to draw out some liquid and intensify the flavour.
Links
Everything you need to know about tomatoes
Jamie’s At Home - S01E01 Tomatoes
Jamie’s At Home - S02E14 Pickles & Preserves
Basics with Babish - E2 Sauces