Tomatoes Tomatoes started out as small,
bitter berries growing on bushes in the west
coast deserts of South America. Today, after
their domestication in Mexico (their name
comes from the Aztec term for “plump fruit,”
tomatl), and a period of European suspicion
that lasted into the 19th century, they’re eaten
all over the world in a great variety of sizes,
shapes, and carotenoid-painted colors. In the
United States they’re second in vegetable
popularity only to the potato, a starchy staple.
What accounts for their great appeal? And
why are these sweet-tart fruits treated as a
vegetable? I think that the answers lie in their
unique flavor. In addition to a relatively low
sugar content for a fruit (3%), similar to that
of cabbage and brussels sprouts, ripe tomatoes
have an unusually large amount of savory
glutamic acid (as much as 0.3% of their
weight), as well as aromatic sulfur
compounds. Glutamic acid and sulfur aromas
are more common in meats than fruits, and so
barry
(Barry)
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