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Tomatoes have always been a staple ingredient in Italian cooking, used in everything from pasta sauce to salads and even a few desserts. Tomato season typically runs from about May to October depending on your geographical location, however, here in Canada it only runs from July to August making fresh tomatoes a sought-after and valuable ingredient.

The season is  longer in Italy, because it has a warmer climate for most of the year. Tomatoes have been  a favourite throughout the modern history of Italian cuisine. The earliest record of tomatoes in Italy, was in 1548 in Tuscany where the fruit was compared to an eggplant and called “pomidoro”, in Italian pomidoro roughly translates to “golden fruit” or “golden apple”. Tomatoes eventually became a large part of Italian cuisine, and later becoming popularized  across the world as a staple in Italian food. 

Tomatoes may not always be your go to vegetable, or fruit, of choice but I can provide many benefits to your health and over-all well-being. Not to mention but they taste great and can be found in many of the best Italian dishes out there.

Take advantage of the remaining tomato season and grab yourself a variety of different tomatoes and make yourself some delicious food, while also improving your health. Come into the store and grab yourself some fresh tomatoes and make something great for dinner.

 
Variety of Uses

Tomatoes have a wide variety of culinary applications as they are used in everything from juice to pasta sauce and even in some desserts, making tomatoes an incredibly diverse food. Due to the many varieties of the species from sweeter cherry tomatoes to more savory heirloom tomatoes, they can be used in all sorts of recipes.

The History

The history of tomatoes within the culinary world has been a complicated one. Tomatoes originated from Peru and were  considered to be fruits and therefore was eaten as such, just like an apple.

When they were originally brought to Italy, by the Spanish in the middle of the 1500’s, most people considered them  too exotic to eat. The real fame and popularity didn’t come until much later on.

Around the late 1700’s, Francesco Leonardi, a Roman chef, created a gift to humanity with one of the very first recipes for tomato sauce. It was published in the cookbook L’Apicio Moderno.

Even with these new recipes,  tomato-based recipes within Italian cuisine still did not become popular with the general public until the late 19th century, more than 300 years after tomatoes were first  introduced to the European world.

Once they became popular, tomatoes were  used in a variety of recipes varying from sweet desserts to savory sauces.

Modern Use

In the modern world, tomatoes are one of the most popular and widely  used ingredients within Europe and the Western world. Some of the best known  Italian dishes that contain tomatoes are ; tomato sauce, bruschetta, stuffed whole tomatoes, caprese salad, panzanella salad, sun-dried tomatoes, and pizza margherita.

However, you can also find tomatoes in some more interesting dishes such as, tomato sushi, where tomatoes are used as a vegan substitute for fish. Or fried green tomatoes, which were made popular in the Southern US , tomato and salted plum granita, and even balsamic, tomato, and basil ice cream.

As crazy as it may sound, ice cream was often made with what we now consider vegetables. When ice cream was invented  some vegetables, such as tomatoes, were still considered fruit.

Tomato ice cream was very popular and added fire to the debate about whether or not they should be classified as a fruit or vegetable. Regardless of where you stand, it’s hard to argue that tomatoes are a versatile ingredient that can be used in a multitude of different dishes.

Fruit or Vegetable?

Throughout history there has been a heated debate over whether tomatoes are fruits or vegetables, and there really isn’t a simple answer. They can be classified as either a vegetable or a fruit, depending on who you ask. If you ask a botanist, they will tell you it is a fruit, however, if you ask a chef, they will tell you the tomato is a vegetable. By clinical definition, tomatoes are botanically fruits. Tomatoes are grown from a small flower, on a rigid stem, and contain seeds that can be harvested and used to grow another plant. Whereas vegetables are products of an herbaceous plant, meaning a plant with a soft stem and are often grown in the ground like roots, the leaves of the plant, or sometimes even the stem itself.

Culinary Classification

However, in the culinary world,  tomatoes are classified as vegetables due to their savory flavour and that they are often cooked and prepared with other vegetables. In fact, in 1893 the US Supreme Court ruled tomatoes as vegetables to solve a  legal dispute from a tomato importer who tried to argue they were fruits to avoid paying the higher vegetable import tax.

Because tomatoes can be used in so many different ways,  there is still debate over which category they belong in.  Are they a fruit? Yes, scientifically they are and are classified as such. Are they a vegetable? Also, yes, as they are used and treated as such within the culinary world and are regarded as such by many if not all chefs.

There is a famous saying that sums this debate up perfectly: Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit and wisdom is knowing that you don’t put tomatoes in a fruit salad.

Health Benefits

Aside from their delicious taste and vast use in many dishes, tomatoes also offer many health benefits, which has aided in their popularity. Tomatoes can  help reduce your risk of heart disease and even some cancers.

Heart Disease

Tomatoes may not be the first thing you think of when attempting to lower your risk of having a heart attack, but they can in fact be a great source of many vitamins and plant compounds that help reduce your risk. Increased risk of heart attacks and strokes have been linked to low levels of lycopene and beta-carotene.

Lycopene has also been linked to helping lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and there are studies showing tomato products have benefits against inflammation and may reduce your risk of blood clotting. Tomatoes are one of the best sources for the antioxidant lycopene in a plant compound. Lycopene is found in the highest concentration in the skin of the tomato, and generally the redder the tomato the more lycopene there is.

Lycopene can be found in higher concentrations of tomatoes in things such as tomato paste or even ketchup, gram for gram. e Processed tomato products have higher concentrations compared to fresh tomatoes, however, eating fresh tomatoes can still be better for you as they contain less sugars and other additives.

Cancer Risk

Getting cancer can be scary,  however, there are things you can do to help lower your over-all risk: one of which is eating more tomatoes.

Studies have observed potential links between tomatoes and tomato products and fewer incidences of prostate, lung, and stomach cancers. A different study conducted on women showed that high levels of carotenoids, which are found in high amounts in tomatoes, can help reduce the risk of breast cancer.

This means that a good diet, rich in lycopene and carotenoids which are both found in high abundance in tomatoes, can help reduce your risk of potentially getting certain variants of cancer. Even though there is no guarantee it is always worth it to be as proactive as you can with your health.

In Conclusion

Tomatoes are a versatile ingredient used in many Italian dishes and desserts. They offer a wide variety of health benefits and are delicious, especially when eaten fresh and in season. Come visit our store to get your tomatoes so you can start cooking fantastic dishes!