Good and Good for You -- Tomato

So quiet and unassuming, the tomato is a staple in most household kitchens, but what do we really know about this simple fruit?  (Yes, I said fruit.)  It seems that these still waters run deep, so let's go diving.

Tomato

Tomatoes are indigenous to the Andes where they grow wild on long vines, all yellow and cherry-sized. These were the tomatoes that the Spanish Conquistadores brought back with them to the Old World. The Italians were the first to actively cultivate varieties of them, followed much later by the French, but eventually tomatoes became the basis of many European cuisines.

Tomatoes got the reputation for being poisonous when they first made their debut, but that's because as a member of the nightshade family, their leaves and stems do contain a toxin called solanine.  Since those were not used for culinary purposes, people finally caught on that tomatoes were good stuff.

In the U.S., Thomas Jefferson was the first to cultivate them stateside. It took a long while for them to catch on as a food stable, but these days tomatoes are the third largest veggie crop in the States (though as we all know, technically…not a veggie, it’s a fruit).

And as for health bennies, well they include:

Ÿ Tomatoes contain oodles of dietary lycopene (a carotene antioxidant) which is the chemical that makes tomatoes tomato red, but it also fights heart disease and is an agent that offers protection against prostate cancer.  The riper and redder a tomato is the higher the concentration of lycopene.

Ÿ Interestingly enough, processed tomatoes (canned, sauced, ketchuped) contain even more lycopene than raw ones. This is because cell walls break down during the cooking process which releases and concentrates carotenes. By eating tomatoes with a small amount of fat (like oil), the lycopene is better absorbed.

Ÿ One medium tomato provides a quarter of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adults.

Ÿ Fresh tomatoes are rich in potassium which helps regulate body fluids, as well as control blood pressure and heart rate.

Ÿ Tomatoes are recommended for use in controlling cholesterol.

You want to buy tomatoes that are bright red and plump, avoid those with wrinkly skin or discoloration (also avoid the super squiggy ones).

Make sure to store them in a cool, dark place. You can store overripe ones in the fridge, but to make sure to get the full tomato benefit package, it’s best to eat them when they’re fresh.

“Tomato” is a derivation of the Mexican Nahuatl word “Tomatl.”

When Heinz introduced its Keystone Catsup in 1876, it was considered the “delicacy of condiments.” In 1906, they came out with the first artificial preservative-free ketchup.

Joseph Campbell produced a condensed tomato soup in 1897 which helped make tomato a household staple (and spurred the company on to making beaucoup bucks along the way too).

Salsa has actually surpassed ketchup as the most popular condiment in the U.S.