This land was a home of several advanced Pre-Columbian society who flourished there until arrival of Europeans in the Age of Discovery. During 500 BC, one of those cultures managed to domesticate tomato and integrate it into their cuisine. That culture was Aztecs.
When we were researching we ran into the question “What is the origin of tomato?”.
The species originated in western South America. The Nahuatl (Aztec language) word tomatl gave rise to the Spanish word “tomate”, from which the English word tomato derived. Its use as a cultivated food may have originated with the indigenous peoples of Mexico.
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant. The species originated in western South America and Central America. The Nahuatl (the language used by the Aztecs) word tomatl gave rise to the Spanish word tomate, from which the English word tomato derived.
One of the next things we asked ourselves was where do tomatoes come from today?
One source claimed from its origins as a wild plant in the Americas to the thousands of varieties grown around the world today, tomatoes have evolved into one of the world’s most popular food crops. Today’s tomatoes began as wild plants in the Andes, growing in parts of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Where do tomatoes come from in China?
The tomato was introduced to China, likely via the Philippines or Macau, in the 1500s. It was given the name fan chieh (barbarian eggplant), as the Chinese named many foodstuffs introduced from abroad, but referring specifically to early introductions.
The small fruits of the plant look very little like today’s cultivated tomatoes. Centuries of planting, growing and saving tomato seeds resulted in the fruit we recognize today, spreading through the Americas, then to Europe and eventually around the globe.
In 2009, worldwide tomato production rose to 158.3 million tons, surpassing the previous year by 3.7%. The largest producers were China with 24% of world production, followed by United States, Turkey, India, Egypt and Italy .
Are tomatoes native to North America?
Native versions were small, like cherry tomatoes, and most likely yellow rather than red. The tomato is native to western South America and Central America. In 1519, Cortez discovered tomatoes growing in Montezuma’s gardens and brought seeds back to Europe where they were planted as ornamental curiosities,.
What is a tomato?
The tomato is the edible, often red, berry of the plant Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant. The species originated in western South America and Central America.
Edible berry of the tomato plant, originating in South America. The tomato is the edible, often red, berry of the plant Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant. The species originated in western South America and Central America.
A inquiry we ran across in our research was “Is a tomato a berry or a vegetable?”.
One way to consider this is though it is botanically a berry, a subset of fruit, the tomato is a vegetable for culinary purposes because of its savoury flavour (see above ). Although tomatoes originated in the Americas, they have become extensively used in Mediterranean cuisine.