Cut and Paste (Part I): A Tomato A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

"A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins."
-Laurie Colwin, ‘Home Cooking’

June is the month of the Creole Tomato in New Orleans, which means dishes featuring this southern Louisiana crop emerge to celebrate in local restaurants, recipes, farmer’s markets, and at festivals (such as the annual French Market Creole Tomato Festival ). What is it about the South that creates such a remarkable tomato? The Creole is an heirloom tomato originally developed to grow especially well in the heat, humidity, and soil of Southern Louisiana. A principal ingredient in Creole cooking, this tomato adds distinct and robust flavor and juiciness whether eaten raw, sliced, or diced for use in salads and sandwiches. 

Attack of the Creole Tomatoes (Photo courtesy of www.louisiana-tastebuds.com)

In addition to the Creole variety, there is another legendary Southern tomato, and this Yankee learned that first-hand. Many years ago at the annual Destrehan Plantation Festival  (Destrehan, LA) and far from being a Registered Dietitian at the time, I remember being surprised that anyone would consider frying a green tomato…until I tasted one. Find out the big deal for yourself with this recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes and Cashew Relish from The Flying Biscuit in Atlanta, GA.

Aside from these Southern legends, dozens of other tomato varieties are available across the country today, throughout the year, presenting diversity of size, shape and color. Two of the most popular are the extremely flavorful heirloom, and the small, round cherry tomato, used frequently in salads, side dishes, and as garnish. Adding to your options, tomatoes are available to the consumer as sun-dried (chewy, sweet, dark and intensely flavored), canned, paste (cans or tubes), and purée. Tomatoes are commonly processed as sauce (spaghetti, pizza, and BBQ), ketchup, and tomato juice. You are unlikely to find many Registered Dietitians (RDs) that encourage consumption of processed foods, but in the case of tomatoes, I will make an exception! Raw, cooked, or processed, you’re good to go.

Many Southerners enjoy a good scandal, and the tomato obliges with a bit of a checkered past. As with the avocado profiled in last month’s To Your Health column, the tomato’s history can be traced back to the Aztecs in Mexico, and was cultivated centuries before Spanish explorers and missionaries introduced it to the rest of the world. Due to an initial unsavory reputation as sinister and poisonous as a member of the nightshade family of plants, the tomato was once considered dangerous and not readily accepted for consumption (except by Spanish and Italian culinary risk-takers), earning it the nickname of “wolf peach.” The tomato was deemed edible circa 1838, and has gained popularity in the United States ever since.

You say tomato, I say…fruit or vegetable? Though the tomato fits the botanical definition of a fruit (it has seeds), it was legally classified as a vegetable by the United States Supreme Court in 1893 in an effort to protect American farmers. Imported vegetables were subjected to tariffs, but imported fruits were not. With its primary function established for use in soups, salads, and entrees, the tomato’s classification changed from fruit to vegetable with a smack of the gavel.  While this debate continues, there is no argument that tomato consumption considerably benefits your health.

Cut and dried: A tomato is technically and botanically a fruit, but legally a vegetable

Cut and Paste: A Tomato a Day Keeps the Doctor Away (Part II) can be found here...