Tomato | Solanum lycopersicum

Tomato is a leading star in the summer Vegetable Garden at Stavros Niarchos Park. July is the month when the traditional local variety Chondrokatsarí, grown in the flower beds, matures and acquires a bright red color.

Tomato is the main dietary source of intake for the antioxidant lycopene, as well as vitamin C. It thrives in full, direct sunlight, if it’s to grow to its full potential. The branches and leaves of Tomato are covered with fine short hairs. In outdoor crops, the plant blooms in May and its flowers are small, yellow, with five petals, producing green fruits when pollinated. This is the main reason why, from a botanical viewpoint, tomato is a fruit — indeed a berry — although it is commonly referred to as a vegetable. Back in 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized Tomato as a vegetable for tax purposes.

Currently, Tomato is a beloved worldwide staple and a key ingredient to countless recipes the world over. Nevertheless, the origin of the Tomato plants makes for a long and interesting story; it took a very long time for them to be upgraded from “poisonous” to popular! Tomato traces its roots back to South America, a plant native to Peru, which was introduced to Europe by Spanish settlers during the 16th century as part of the widespread transfer of plants known as the Columbian Exchange. At first, it was not welcomed in the importing countries, as for more than 200 years it was considered poisonous because it belongs to the family of the nightshades, or Solanaceae, along with Atropa belladonna. Atropa was known since Ancient Greece and was associated with therapeutic, poisonous and psychotropic properties due to the atropine it contains. For many years, Tomato was cultivated only for ornamental purposes. It is worth noting that the first written mention of the plant is found in Italy in 1544 AD, while the first written recipe containing it dates only from 1692 AD.

Apart from enriching some of the best loved dishes, Tomato also plays a leading cultural role in a variety of ways. In addition to its characteristic depiction in still lifes of prominent painters, such as Paul Gauguin, it has also inspired a series of social and cultural events. A special festival that includes a “tomato war” among its participants is La Tomatina, hosted in the Spanish city of Buñol in Valencia. In neighboring Italy, the Tomato Museum in Parma is dedicated to this most beloved fruit, also offering a digital tour.

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