The omnipresent and juicy tomato

Globular green fruit, then golden and finally red when ripe. Its flesh is very juicy with a tangy but sweet flavor. In Mexico, there are two widely spread varieties, the round tomato and the guajillo, the latter being elongated rather than round. Although botanists place its origin in Peru, the diaspora of this nightshade occurred naturally in various tropical and subtropical regions of America, which is why it is endemic to Mexico, where it spread in ancient times. It was in Mesoamerica where it was domesticated. In Nahuatl, it was called Xitomatl —from “xictli,” navel, and “tomatl,” globular and watery fruit— due to its round shape and juiciness. The Spaniards castellanized its name to jitomate (Lycopersicon esculentum), however, generically the Spaniards called it tomate and it was with this last name that it became internationalized, which is why today jitomate and tomate are understood to mean the same thing. Tomate is also the nomenclature that in Nahuatl refers to a huge variety of plants of the same species that are distinguished from the jitomate by shape, size, and color.       Many tomatoes are small like a plum, ribbed or with marked ribs like a pumpkin and come in colors ranging from purple, green, yellow, orange, and even mixed in their ripe stage. However, beyond their shapes, colors, and sizes in tender stages, they are not particularly jitomates. Mexico uses jitomate extensively in broths and stews, however, internationally Italy is positioned not only as its most important consumer but also as the nation that originated the plant. It is mainly used in a huge variety of soups and red sauces. Although it is also very useful in broths, moles, and various stews —almost always without skin or seeds as both tend to be indigestible—. Raw, it is used in salads and even used in pulque to “cure” it and give it flavor. It is definitely essential in Mexican cuisine. The nutritional content of 100 grams of tomato is 21 kilocalories, 4.3 grams of carbohydrates, 0.6 grams of protein, 0.2 grams of lipids, 6 milligrams of sodium, 253.5 milligrams of vitamin A, and 16 milligrams of vitamin C. In English: ‘tomato’. In French: ‘tomates’. View original article Article courtesy of: