In today's Chinese dining table, the appearance rate of tomato is extremely high, and scrambled eggs with tomato is the most popular dish. Looking at the world, tomatoes are also darling in the diets of other countries, such as the Italians' favorite bolognese, the Russians' favorite sweet and sour soup, and western fast food. Such a popular tomato, centuries ago, was discriminated against and controversial, regarded as a terrible poisonous fruit, and also carried the notoriety of "wolf peach". What's going on here?
· From native South America to rooted in continental Europe ·
Tomatoes are native to South America and grow in the jungles of the Andes and Galapagos Islands. At that time, this wild berry was very small, some only as big as peas, and some as big as cherries. Because the fruit was bright red, the Indians suspected it to be highly poisonous, so they called it "wolf peach". Warn others not to eat.
Wild tomatoes were brought to Mexico in 500 BC. The Aztecs living in central Mexico brought tomatoes from the mountains to their plantations and built the world's first centralized tomato cultivation center. In the process of cultivation and breeding, the shape and taste of tomatoes have been continuously optimized, the fruits have become more and more attractive, and the varieties have become more and more abundant, such as large tomatoes, small tomatoes, sweet tomatoes, snake-shaped tomatoes, heart-shaped tomatoes, etc.
But with the advent of the Great Voyage Age, the continents began to become restless. Colonists from Europe came to Mexico, where they burned and looted, and the Aztec civilization died out. The tomatoes cultivated by the Aztecs were brought back to Europe by the Spanish colonists as trophies. Since then, Tomato has started its "European drift" career.
As the tomato spread to the rest of Europe, all kinds of "adventures" came one after another. First in Portugal, tomatoes were mainly used to decorate courtyards. In 15th-century Italy, tomatoes were called "golden apples," probably because the earliest tomatoes were yellow. In the United Kingdom, tomatoes are known as the "fruit of love", which is said to be related to a British Duke named Dalari of Russia. The duke loved the bright fruit of the tomato very much, and dedicated it to his lover, Queen Elizabeth I, who loved it very much. This red tomato is like the current red rose, which embodies the earl's affection for the queen, which has provoked many nobles to follow suit, and even set off a romantic trend of using tomato as a love object.
But at the same time, there are also British people who believe that tomatoes are poisonous. The representative figure in this regard is the surgeon and botanist John Gerrard, who in his book "Flora" classifies tomatoes as "belladonna" - a poisonous similar fruit. The book "Flora" has a great influence. Therefore, tomatoes have not been able to have a place on the dining table in Britain, France and other countries for a long time.
It's the Italians who really make tomatoes a popular dish. The country of Italy has never lacked gourmets who are bold and innovative. With their efforts, tomato has appeared as a side dish in pasta, pizza and other delicacies, and finally realized the transformation from poisonous fruit that can only be seen from a distance to deliciousness. A gorgeous transformation of cuisine.
· From imported products to home-cooked dishes ·
While tomato started its European tour, it also came to China with European ships, conquering the picky taste buds of Chinese people with its unique taste. According to scholars' research, tomatoes may have been introduced to China from Europe to Central and South Asia in the mid-to-late 16th century.
In many books in the late Ming Dynasty, there were records about tomatoes, with various names. In addition to tomatoes, there were tomatoes, persimmons, persimmons in June, small pumpkins, three yuan for good news, and citrus honey. The tomato, which first entered China, was also regarded as an ornamental plant. For example, in the late Ming Dynasty botanical work "Quanfangpu", it is said that tomatoes are "the most beautiful, and the fire umbrella and fire beads are not enough" - the red and bright colors are so beautiful that it is hard to describe.
It should be noted that as early as the Yuan Dynasty, some agronomists mentioned "tomato" in their writings and called it edible. At that time, the Aztec civilization was in full swing, and the Spanish colonists had not yet reached the Americas. How could it be possible for tomatoes to reach China? It turned out that this kind of "tomato" refers to a certain kind of eggplant imported from foreign countries, and "fan" means foreign countries, and the same name is used as the later tomato.
It is strange to say that while peppers, potatoes, corn and other things introduced into our country at the same time have become commonplace on people's dining tables, tomatoes have long stayed on the cold bench of "flowers". It was not until the period of the Republic of China, with the appearance of western restaurants in the southeastern coastal areas of our country, tomato showed its splendor in the form of sauce, and gradually became well known to the public. From imported products to home-cooked dishes, tomatoes gradually took root on the land of China.
The people who eat tomato in Shouxing may be Cantonese. In 1935, it was recorded in the "Guangdong General Chronicle" that "tomato is also an exotic species, and it was introduced into Guangdong for people to eat. However, it has become a common planting in the past few decades." The book also said, "Cooking methods, foreigners are mostly pickled and eaten raw, while Cantonese people cook dishes with meat."
In addition to Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan and other places also began to treat tomato as a vegetable during this period. Interestingly, tomato was originally regarded as a kind of pepper, which can be seen from the names of "foreign hot pepper" and "spicy eggplant". People also used tomatoes as ingredients and invented many novel dishes. For example, in the "Majiang County Chronicle" of Guizhou in 1938, it was recorded that tomatoes are "raw and sour" and can be used to cook soup in summer. The taste is very good. Garlic, chili, sour wine, etc. are marinated in jars, and the longer the marinade, the better the taste. In Hunan's "Liling County Chronicle" in 1948, it was said that tomatoes were "soft and juicy" and "sweet and sour". In addition to being used to make tomato sauce, they can also be eaten raw.
At present, my country is the country with the widest range of tomato cultivation and the largest output in the world. In addition, my country also has the world's largest tomato seed market. The method of eating tomatoes has already developed to a "broad and profound" level. It can be washed and eaten raw, cooked into various dishes, or made into various soups; it can be cooked with other ingredients, or it can be made into a plate alone; it can be made into sweets with sugar, or it can be made into a dish. Add salt to make salty food; tomatoes can also be used as seasonings for Chinese and Western food. Famous dishes that use tomatoes as seasonings include Fujian cuisine "drunk ribs", Su cuisine "chrysanthemum fish", Anhui cuisine "grape fish", Beijing cuisine "Peach Blossom Pan", Shanghai cuisine "Hongyun Chicken" and so on.
· The Mystery of Vegetables and Fruits ·
Whether tomato is a vegetable or a fruit, I believe many people can't answer it. In fact, in botany, tomatoes have been regarded as both fruits and vegetables. Nowadays, tomatoes are mostly classified as vegetables, but one of its cultivars is called "cherry tomatoes", which are exquisite and lovely in appearance, high in sugar content, sweet and delicious in taste, and are widely loved by people.
Tomatoes are considered a vegetable and are related to a law in the United States. In 1887, a merchant bought a large batch of tomatoes from the West Indies, intending to ship them to the United States for sale. Tomatoes were not a popular commodity at the time, and few people were in the tomato business. At the time of entry, customs officials identified tomatoes as vegetables, while merchants considered tomatoes as fruits. Because the US law at the time stipulated that the import of vegetables was subject to tax, and the import of fruit was not subject to tax. The businessman refused and appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States. After a six-year trial, he finally ruled that tomatoes belonged to vegetables. Of course, for the general public, it doesn't matter whether a tomato is a vegetable or a fruit, it's enough to be delicious.
