Gastropod Tomatoes: A Love Story
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Aug 19, 2025 Harry Klee, an Emeritus professor focused on breeding better-tasting tomatoes, joins Gabriela Toledo, an associate professor and founder of the Tomatoes for Tomorrow Initiative. They explore the tomato's fascinating journey from culinary obscurity to global fame. Discover the historical challenges the tomato faced, the rise of tomato pills in America, and the flavor trade-offs of mass production. They also discuss the quest to enhance tomato taste in agriculture, highlighting how modern breeding can restore the essence of heirloom varieties for future generations.
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Wild Origin And Mesoamerican Domestication
- The tomato originated as a small, unimpressive wild plant in the Andes and was not domesticated there.
- Domestication likely occurred in southern Mexico, producing many sizes, shapes, and colors by the 1500s.
Cultural And Medical Barriers In Europe
- Early Europeans largely disliked tomatoes because of smell, unfamiliarity, and medical theories.
- Galen-derived humoral beliefs and nightshade associations amplified the tomato's bad reputation.
The Medici Tomato Unveiling
- Cosimo de' Medici's steward summoned staff to witness a basket of strange fruit in Pisa and they reacted with "much thoughtfulness."
- That recorded indifference captures early Italian uncertainty about tomatoes.
