Facts: Tomatoes

1. Tomatoes are thought to originate in Peru. The name comes from the Aztec “xitomatl”, which means “plump thing with a navel”.
2. They were probably introduced to Europe by the conquistador Cortez or Columbus and may originally have been yellow, as they were first referred to in writing as “pomo d’oro” – golden apple.
3. Tomatoes are related to belladonna, black henbane and deadly nightshade, all poisons, and the tomato’s leaves and stems contain poisonous chemicals. In Europe, they were initially considered toxic.
4. Tomatoes are technically fruit because a fruit is generally defined as the edible part of a plant containing the seeds, while a vegetable is the edible stems, leaves, or plant roots.
5. Confusion exists because it is often sold as a vegetable. The US state of Arkansas took both sides in the debate by declaring a tomato both the official fruit and the official vegetable.
6. Over 10,000 varieties exist: from tiny “tomberries” about 5mm wide (less than a quarter of an inch) to the Ponderosa variety, which weighs over 1.5kg (over 3lbs).
7. Tomatoes can be yellow, pink, purple, black and even white, as well as red.
8. One of its scientific names is “Solanum lycopersicum”, the second part of which means “wolf peach”.
9. La Tomatina is an annual festival in Bunol, Spain, where participants throw an estimated 150,000 tomatoes at each other over a week.
10. Francesco Leonardi, chef to Catherine the Great, gave the first recipe for spaghetti with tomato sauce in 1790.
11. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant, and have been found to be good for the heart and effective against prostate, lung and stomach cancer. The reddest ones contain the most goodness. Cooked tomatoes are better for you than raw ones, as the process breaks down cell walls and releases more beneficial chemicals.
12. Tomato seedlings have been grown in space.