Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World: A History

Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World: A History by William Alexander

Tomatoes were a new world plant that had a big impact on the old world. At first, people were reluctant to consume the tomato. However, they eventually became a significant part of the diet. They first infiltrated Spain, and later Italy. In many places, the name is a variation of the Aztec tomatl. However, in Italy, they were pomodoro (golden apple). Another German variation was "apple of paradise".

Tomatoes went on to be a part associated with Italian pasta. (Today, we still use the Italian names, because "vermicelli" sounds better than "little worms".) Later, they became an integral part of pizza. Naples is the birthplace of pizza and has many pizzerias, but a strict style for pizza. However, pizza as we know it was much more the works of Italian immigrants in New York, and didn't really catch on until after World War II.

In the US, tomatoes were initially shunned, but then started to catch on in the late 1800s. There were heirloom varieties at the time. They appeared in abundant quantities when in season, then disappeared. Florida tomatoes soon changed that. They were available year round and could be shipped great distances. However, they were bred for durability, not taste. This lead to the bland, tasteless tomatoes.

Ketchup was initially a Chinese sauce. Later a tomato-based version was made using discarded tomatoes. Heinz had a significant hold of the market. However, when regulators begin to criticize some of the preservatives, they looked to reformulate. Using fresh tomatoes along with the vinegar and sugar allowed the ketchup to be preserved without additional preservatives. This became the standard formulation, with Heinz continuing to dominate.

The book takes time to explore different types of tomatoes and how different usages of tomatoes came to take hold in the world. It is replete with many "non-tomato" insights into the related foods.