Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

The tomato is a popular Food item around the world.  But where did it come from?  Did people actually think it was poisonous at one point in time?  And is it a vegetable or a fruit?  Read more to learn the answers to these questions and more.

Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

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Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

A Brief History

The tomato is native to South America.  From there, it spread to Mexico where it was grown and eaten by the Aztecs.  Early European explorers to South and North America brought the tomato back to Europe.  It was widely cultivated in Spain and Italy, before being adopted by the English. 

The first written evidence of the tomato in Europe was in 1544 by Pietro Andrea Mattioli, an Italian physician and botanist.  He referred to it as an herb called "pomi d'oro" or the "golden apple".  The first cookbook that uses tomatoes in recipes was published in 1692 in Naples, Italy.  There is evidence that by this time the Spanish were widely using tomatoes in Food dishes, however, it was not used by all cultures.  In Florence, Italy and surrounding areas, the tomato was not widely used for Food until the 17th and 18th centuries.

However, in the 1600's, Britain and main of its colonies did not eat tomatoes, as they believed that they were poisonous.  This belief was promoted by John Gerard in his book "Gerard's Herbal" which was published in 1597, despite the fact that he knew the Italian and Spanish frequently ate tomatoes without ever being harmed.  This belief continued until the 1700's, at which time the tomato was embraced and became very popular in a variety of food dishes in Britain and its colonies.  Tomatoes have remained popular throughout the world ever since.

Fruit or Vegetable? 

While tomatoes are actually fruits, the debate about whether they are fruits or vegetables continues because the tomato is often referred to as both. 

What is the definition of fruits?  Fruits are defined in botanical terms as a flowering plant that produces food with edible seeds.  In botanical terms, the tomato is a berry, which is considered to be a subset of fruit. 

However, the botanical classification system does not use the term vegetable.  Therefore, it is often defined by culinary terms.  Culinary terms distinguish between vegetables and fruits by when they are eaten in a meal.  Vegetables are eaten or served during the main course and fruits are eaten as a part of dessert.  However, vegetables are also defined by its edible parts, which for vegetables are the leaves, stems and roots. 

From the definitions above, the tomato is clearly a fruit because it has seeds and does not come from the leaves, stems or roots of a plant.  However, the desire to eat tomatoes as part of the meal means that it continues to be incorrectly referred to as a vegetable. 

Other Uses

Tomatoes are popular in food and in drinks but they do have other uses.  Here's a short list of other ways that tomatoes can be used:

• Bathing in tomato juice is an effective way to remove the smell if a skunk sprays you or a pet;
• Wash your hAir with them after swimming in a pool in order to remove the chlorine from your hAir;
• To tenderize meats; and
• To clean copper pots instead of using harsh or abrasive chemicals.

Interesting Facts About Tomatoes

Interesting Facts About Raspberries

Yum, raspberries!  So sweet and tasty, whether you are eating them plain or with ice cream.  But how much do you really know about raspberries?  Facts like they have no fat, they come in four different colours and what states and provinces grow the majority of raspberries in Canada and the United States.  Learn these facts, plus read about interesting trivia, nutritional facts, what recipes raspberries can be used in and three myths that talk about raspberries.

Interesting Facts About Raspberries

Interesting Facts About Raspberries

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Interesting Facts About Raspberries

Interesting Facts About Raspberries

Miscellaneous Facts

Do you think you know your raspberries?  Test your knowledge against these quick facts:

• Raspberries can be either red, purple, gold or black in colour.  Golden raspberries are sweeter than the other varieties.
• The difference between raspberries and blackberries is that raspberries have a hollow core in the middle while blackberries do not.
• In the United States, about 90% of all raspberries sold come from Washington, California and Oregon.  In Canada, the province of British Colombia produces about 80% of all raspberries sold in Canada.
• There are over 200 species of raspberries.
• When picking raspberries, look for berries that are firm and dark in colour.  They should not be soft or mushy.  Gently pull on the berry; if it does not come off easily then leave it on the bush, as the berry is not ripe enough yet.
• Once raspberries have been picked, they won't ripen any further.

Health Facts

Everyone wants to eat healthier, but often healthy is equated with bland or tasteless Food.  Well, you can stop thinking like that because here's a Food that is tasty and good for you as well!  The medical benefits of raspberries include:

• They do not have any fat, saturated fat, sodium or cholesterol.
• They are high in fiber, vitamin C, potassium and folate.
• They are low in calories.
• They can help lower high blood pressure.
• Raspberries have an anti-inflammatory property that may help to reduce inflammation of the joints.

Food Facts

Raspberries can be used in a variety of food dishes.  If you know someone who doesn't like to eat fruit, simply add raspberries to the dish.  They taste great and the person won't even think about the fact that they are eating fruit.  Some of the food dishes that raspberries can be used in include:

• They can be made into sauces (for poultry or desserts), jams or jellies.
• They can be eaten fresh, either plain or on top of food choices such as yogurt, ice cream, cereal or salads.
• They can be baked in pies, cakes, breads or muffins.
• They can be in drinks, such as smoothies or punches.

Myths From Around The World

Raspberries are sold and produced throughout the world, which has given rise to myths about why raspberries are red and even one myth about the magical qualities of the fruit.

One popular myth comes from France, which tells the story about how raspberries use to be only white in colour.  The myth states that one day, a nymph named Ida was taking care of an Infant Zeus (also referred to as Jupiter).  Zeus was crying and to help soothe him, Ida picked some white raspberries.  But when she went to pick the raspberries, she scratched herself on a thorn and started to bleed.  Her blood dripped on the white raspberries, instantly turning them red and they have been red ever since.

Another myth, which originates from Germany, talks about the magical qualities of raspberries.  It states that to tame a bewitched horse, one would have to tie a wild raspberry twig around the horse's body.

Finally, a modern myth tells the story of how raspberries turned a fox's fur red.  In the Tale of the Raspberry Fox, by Henning Buchhagen, there is a fox named Ferdinand.  At that time, all foxes were grey in colour.  The tale tells how Ferdinand didn't like to eat meat, so one day he decided to eat some raspberries and discovered that he loved eating them.  He kept eating raspberries and the more he ate, the redder his fur became.  Ever since then, all foxes have had red fur and like to eat fruit.

Interesting Facts About Raspberries