| Tales of the Tomato |
| Written by Sean |
| Wednesday, 01 October 2008 06:53 |
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When Europeans first found Lycopersicon esculentum ("edible wolf-peach") in the New World, they viewed it with considerable suspicion. For one thing, it was strange looking and unusual tasting. For another, the Aztecs who gave it the name "jitomatl" were
savages in the conquerors' eyes; anything they admired was in all likelihood to be touched with deviltry. Spanish eyebrows must have lifted, too, when the newcomers learned of the Aztec belief that tomatoes raised male sexual prowess. The Aztec word comes from the verb "tomahu" ("to swell"). Perhaps some dark magic did, indeed, lie buried within the odd fruit, for it became the target of priestly denouncements and, I suspect, more than a few clandestine taste-tests. Both Exotic and Erotic Trailing a reputation for being both exotic and potentially erotic, the tomato soon became a essential of the Mediterranean diet. It was slower to be accepted in northern Europe, partly because of the shorter growing season and partly because prim northerners considered that its consumption led to licentiousness and debauchery, qualities they attributed to their southern neighbors. An Elizabethan traveler described to his English contemporaries, "In Spain and those hot areas they use to consume these Apples prepared and boiled with pepper, salt, and oyle; but they yield very little nourishment to the body, and the same naught and corrupt." The tomato was similarly slow to catch on in the United States. Little occurred until nineteenth-century progressives like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Louisa May Alcott (who writes fondly in Little Women of the wondrous, sun-ripened tomatoes of her girlhood) defended its use as something other than a dooryard ornamental. About the same time, the tomato entered into Chinese cuisine as "fan qiò," literally "barbarian eggplant." (A member of the Solanaceae family, the tomato is indeed related to eggplant.) By the turn of the century, the United States Supreme Court had ruled that although the tomato was botanically a fruit, it would henceforward be categorized as a vegetable. The decision itself bore more on subjects of taxation than botany. But it was not until World War I, when the government promoted city-dwellers and rural residents alike to introduce more vegetables into their diet as a substitute for meat, that Lycopersicon esculentum became a standard item on American tables. A Cancer Fighter? Nowadays, in terms of sheer volume, the tomato ranks at the head of fruits and vegetables in the American diet. Low in fats and sodium and high in potassium, a whole tomato yields around 23 calories, making it an obvious preferred of weightwatchers. The tomato is also rich in fat-soluble carotenoids, some of which the body changes to vitamin A. Those carotenoids, scientists are finding, are of critical importance to our well-being. In fact, one class, lycopenes, is among the best inhibitors of cancer yet discovered. It appears strangely appropriate that a fruit once known for its supposed aphrodisiacal powers should help ward off cancer of the prostate gland. A recent long-range study by Harvard Medical School points out that the incidence of several kinds of digestive-system cancers is lower in people who consume tomatoes at least once a week; another, by scientists at Johns Hopkins, indicates that the risk of lung cancer is significantly lower in those who eat tomatoes at least four times a week than in people who completely shun them or eat them only occasionally. Spicy Salsa Frescas Tomatoes are a versatile fruit, and there are abundant ways to prepare them. Down in the Southwest, they turn up in the spicy salsa frescas served in Mexican restaurants; I can think of no better tonic. They are also superb for any variety of spaghetti and pasta sauces. For a uniquely uncomplicated but sublimely pleasant meal, try this quick tomato sauce for pasta: finely chop six Roma or plum tomatoes, one yellow onion, and four cloves of garlic. Saute the onions and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil just until the garlic begins to crisp; then add the tomatoes, half a cup of red wine or water, and a grated carrot. Add a pinch each of oregano, basil, and pepper; cover and cook on low heat for half an hour, stirring occasionally. |
