Tomatoes are a vine fruit native to South America, and like the potato and eggplant, are members of the nightshade family. By the time European explorers arrived in the New World, tomatoes had made their way up from Central America and Mexico. The Spanish brought plants back to Spain, but it took some time for the fruit to be accepted as it was considered, as were many nightshade plants, poisonous. Some considered the fruit an aphrodisiac, and the French called them "pommes d'amour" or "love apples". It wasn't until the 1900s that tomatoes became popular in the United States. Today, the fruit - commonly referred to as a vegetable - is considered a favorite amongst Americans.
There are dozens of tomato varieties in various sizes and colors. The most common found in American supermarkets in the beefsteak tomato, a large and bright red fruit. Other popular varieties include plum or Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, etc.
Tomatoes can be heart or egg shaped, they can be round or oblong. Depending on the variety, the color and flavor can vary from sweet to tart and from bright green to brilliant red.
Selecting and Buying
Preparation and Use
Tomatoes can be simply sliced and eaten. They can be cooked down into a paste or sauce. They can be chopped and added to salsa, roasted or broiled and pureed.
Conserving and Storing
Determine whether tomatoes are fully ripe. A ripe tomato is dark red or orange, is slightly soft, has a uniform skin color and smells like a tomato.
Put unripe tomatoes in a brown paper bag and leave them at room temperature until they ripen, usually in a day or two.
Store ripe tomatoes in a cool place - around 55 degrees F. Stored this way, they should keep for five days. Avoid refrigerating tomatoes.
Store cut tomatoes in the refrigerator and use as soon as possible.