Cultural Food - Tomatoes - Essay Example

CULTURAL FOOD - TOMATOES Tomatoes are one of the most popular fruits in the world and almost all harvesting is done with the view to ultimately being consumed by humans. Historically, the tomato originates from Peru in South America although these were not in the same form as the modern tomato. Early forms of tomato (known as Solanums) was actually a green fruit but this initial fruit soon mutated to become several difference species, many of which are seen in the modern versions of the tomato. Transportation first occurred when tomatoes were moved to Mexico where it is thought that this fruit was consumed by prehistoric humans. Despite this it is not fully known when the tomato became domesticated although it is now known that this happened in Mexico around the time of the Aztecs. There is further speculation as to how the tomato became more widely available. The most popular school of thought is that Cortez, who was a Spanish explorer who took over the now called Mexico City in 1521 took the yellow fruit to Europe where it gained popularity. Another school of thought is that Christopher Columbus was the first to introduce the tomato. Regardless of this there was mention of the tomato in European literature in 1544 where it was referred to as a golden apple. The modern day name tomato is derived from the Nahuatl language but the name lycopersicum, literally translated means ‘wolf-peach’. This was thought to be a reflection of the widely held view, particularly in Europe that the fruit was poisonous and could therefore be used to protect against wolves. From a very early stage, tomatoes have been seen as a perfect fruit for cooking in many cultures. Culturally they were very important with those in Southern Mexico region of Pueblo thinking that anyone who saw another individual eating a tomato would gain divination powers. Culturally the tomato had a bit of a slower introduction within Europe. Whilst the Mediterranean climate was perfect for tomato growing there was no immediate evidence that it was used as food. There is evidence that the Spanish used the tomato as fruit from the early 1600s although it is possible that it was recognised as a food before then. Clear recipes including tomatoes were published in 1692 but it was also evident that the main role of the tomato across much of Europe was as a table decoration and not as a food. By contrast in England the tomato did not get cultivated until the late 16th, early 17th century. Despite the English being aware that the tomato was being eaten abroad regularly it was not deemed a safe food in Britain or North America for several years. By the mid 17th century the suspicions had diminished and it soon reached the status of being a daily staple to such an extent that it became cultivated on an industrial basis throughout the early part of the twentieth century. More recently however this industry has gone into decline with cheaper imports becoming a better option (cited in Smith, 2001). The tomato has had a substantial impact on some key regions. For example the town of Bunol in Spain has an annual festival that focuses on one large tomato fight. The festival is called La Tomatina and reflects the global popularity of the tomato as a ‘soft’ weapon during riots or brawls. Tomatoes were also a popular choice for those unimpressed with a stage performer. Although this is not commonly seen in modern society, its link with riots has not been ignored by politics with the Dutch Socialist party adopting the symbol of a tomato as their logo due to its association with protesting. From a slightly more positive connotation, the state of Sinaloa in Mexico has adopted the tomato as a symbol as it is seen as a symbol of production and growth within a region. It was also used as part of a celebration by the Franklin Country Historical Society when they commemorated Reynoldsburg in Ohio as the first location to commercially produce tomatoes. In modern society the tomato is viewed as a food staple that is part of almost every modern day diet. In 2008 an approximate 125 million tons of tomatoes were produced worldwide, with certain key countries such as China, the US and Turkey taking on a large proportion of production. For example, China produces around 25% of the entire global production although California is a recognised location for the plum or processing variety of tomato that accounts for 35% of the global production of this type of variety. Due to the high level of production in certain countries it has become simply counter productive for certain countries such as the UK to produce tomatoes preferring to bring in imports from other countries (cited in Janick, 2008). Over the years different geographical regions have concentrated on different varieties of the fruit which has allowed these regions to adapt to their own growing conditions. For example the most popular commercial tomato is approximately 5 centimeters in diameter although there are beefsteak tomatoes that are often around 10 centimetres in diameter showing the wide variety of shapes and sizes that exist in the tomato family. In some regions a specific effort has been made to grow specialist tomatoes such as those that are used for sauces or canning, there are even some regions that produce multicoloured fruits. In total there are around 7500 different varieties to provide for just about any food based requirement. More recently the tomato has been thought to be particularly good for health purposes for example it is now widely recognised that the tomato is good for the operation of the heart due to the high level of lycopene in the fruit that is known as being a very strong antioxidant. There has been evidence that this antioxidant is thought to be a good defence against prostrate cancer although this is not proven. Other benefits are seen as skin care and UV protection. As well as there being some debate as to whether or not the tomato has any substantial health benefit there is an ongoing debate as to whether or not the tomato should be calculated as a fruit or vegetable. From a nutritional point of view a tomato is considered to be a vegetable but this does not a botanical contradiction due to the fact that a plant could be botanically a fruit but also be a vegetable. The tomato fruit is officially a berry and as would be expected of a fruit it grows from the ovary of the original plant once it has been fertilised. Therefore the tomato is widely now recongised as a fruit due to its botanical make up. Despite this, recipes and cooking practices across the globe have treated somewhat as vegetables and are cooked in mainly savoury dishes. The issue of whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable has been historically tested in court with an importer making a claim in the Supreme Court of the United States in 1893 that the tomato was a fruit in order to avoid paying a vegetable import tariff. However, in this case the court ruled that it was in fact a vegetable as it was mainly used in the way that a vegetable would be. There are no specific restrictions in place on the use of tomatoes in any country and it is in fact one of the widest spread food substances on a global level. Despite this it has a much greater cultural significance in some countries, most notably in those that were involved in the early commercial production of the fruit. Mexico for example sees the fruit as being a symbol of prosperity and growth, as does Spain. This is not surprising given the fact that growth of the fruit in this country has been very commercially important. There is also the additional cultural and symbolic influence of the tomato as a weapon which dates back to the period when tomatoes were seen as poisonous. In fact in the early days tomatoes were viewed within certain cultures as a means of committing suicide and as such throwing tomatoes at an individual was seen as something that was derogatory. These two opposing views of the tomato can be linked back to historic developments with certain regions immediately recognizing the tomato as a positive item and other regions, namely the UK and United States viewing it with much more suspicion during the early days. There is no denying that the tomato ha become a critically important element of modern society and recognised on a global level as an important food item. In modern society there is a positive attitude towards the fruit although deeply rooted historical perceptions have now shaped the symbolic influence of this widely accepted fruit, be it negative or positive. References Benton Jones, J. (2007) Tomato plant culture: in the field, greenhouse, and home garden. CRC Press. Janick, J. (2008) Horticultural Reviews, Volume 34. John Wiley and Sons. Smith, A. F. (1994). The Tomato in America. University of Illinois Press Smith, A. F. (2001) The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture, and Cookery. University of Illinois Press Read More