A History of Tomato

The tomato are native to western South America, particularly in regions that are now part of Peru, Ecuador, and northern Chile. First domesticated in Mexico, with evidence of cultivation dating back more than 7000 years. They form part of the traditional meso-american Di Milpa growing system, though not as core a component as the Tomatillo.

Tomatoes had held importance for different native peoples, some Pueblo traditions held that consuming the seeds of the tomato plant brought the ability to divine the future, and Ancient Nahuatl-speaking peoples believed these plants held unique spiritual essences. Due to their deep red color, tomatoes in some Central American folklore represented vitality, strength, and passion. This is shown by their Aztec name Xictomatl - plump fruit with a naval.

After ‘discovery’ of the Americas 1492, The Spanish conquest of Aztec Empire in 1521 played a key role in introducing the plant to Europe. Hernán Cortés is believed to have discovered them in Emperor Montezuma II's gardens in 1519, and is generally credited with their arrival in Spain. The earliest record of the tomato in Europe dates to 1544, described by Italian physician and botanist Pietro Andrea Matthioli as a new type of eggplant. Initially grown as curiosity and met with some suspicion due to their relation to deadly nightshade, by the 17th century they had become a staple in Spanish and Italian cooking.

Sometimes called the “poison apple”, wealthy Europeans who ate tomatoes from pewter plates sometimes became ill. The acidity of tomatoes leached lead from the pewter, causing lead poisoning — reinforcing the belief that tomatoes themselves were poisonous! Arriving in England in 1590’s, John Gerard’s influential 1597 Herbal, described the fruit as "corrupt" and having a "stinking savour," From the 18th century onward, British travelers returning from Italy and Spain brought back a taste for tomato-based dishes, slowly introducing them into high-society kitchens. A sight in English markets, developments in both varieties and glass house technology during the Victorian era ensured tomatoes could be a reliable, viable food crop in this country.