Can you imagine Italian food without tomato sauce? Spain without gazpacho in the Summer? Or Lebanese fattoush salad without the bright red of chopped tomatoes? Tomatoes are such an integral ingredient in so many cuisines around the world, that it is hard to believe they were introduced into many of them only a few hundred years ago. Tomatoes originated in Mexico, and it was not until the 16th Century that they were taken to Europe to be planted in new soil. But even then, they were observed with caution. In England they believed tomatoes to be poisonous, and responsible for causing many kinds of ills. Many other plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae, like eggplant, were regarded in the same way. It took at least 100 years before they made their way into the culinary repertoire of the Old World.
The tomato is a cooling fruit that peaks in late Summer, when we need it most. There are four parts to a tomato: the outer skin, the fruit wall, the inner pith, and the liquid gel in the center with the seeds. The tomato’s juiciest part is by far the liquid sacs around the seeds in the middle, which is most often removed in professional kitchens in favor of the fleshy fruit wall. We cannot imagine getting rid of the pleasantly acidic juice of the tomato, one of the most cooling and refreshing flavors of Summer.
Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C, and they are excellent for maintaining healthy hearts and low blood pressure. In fact, if you cut open a tomato across its horizontal midsection you will see four chambers of seed sacs. This is a direct replica of the human heart. Food has an innate ability to tell you what it is good for, and tomatoes tell you they are good for your cardiovascular system. Their red color is a sigh of lycopene, a powerful anti-oxidant that has proven strong in preventing multiple types of cancers. We also like to think that their smooth exterior also shows how soft one’s skin can be if they are eaten regularly.
Tomatoes are best eaten in the late Summer, early Fall when they are at their peak. As a culture, we have become used to having access to foods all year round, regardless of the seasons. Tomatoes should not be a dietary staple in the Winter, unless they are canned. Tomatoes shipped from abroad are picked green and treated with ethylene gas to turn red, which is obviously not the healthiest way to eat. Tomatoes are best eaten with barely any seasoning besides salt and maybe some olive oil and vinegar. They are well balanced by mild dairy products, like yogurt and mozzarella cheese, but should be avoided by people with arthritis, as they are calcium inhibitors.
