Curiosity
The term primitive apple aurea became, over the years, in the most immediate literal translation: golden apple or, more simply, tomato, as a tribute to the initially golden color of the vegetable. The climb to success was extraordinary: from the moment of its discovery, the tomato soon became the king of vegetables, for the original taste, for the ruby color and for the countless beneficial, presumed and real properties.
Tomatoes Stuffed With Rice And Tuna
X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtubeTomato names
The list of nicknames attributed to the tomato is as long as its beneficial properties: there is a bit of confusion, so it is necessary to clarify the nomenclature of this vegetable. We mentioned in the introduction that the term "tomato" is the result of a fusion of the archaic term "pomo d'oro"; this term, before turning into the current one, underwent various modulations throughout history: among all, we remember the "pomme d'amour", a typically French expression because the vegetable was attributed aphrodisiac potential.
There is one that even believes that the name tomato is the result of a distortion of the expression "pomo dei Mori": the red fruit, in fact, belongs to the same family as the aubergines, a vegetable which, in the past, was the favorite and the more widespread throughout the Arab world.
But the story on the tomato nomenclature is not yet over: except for the Italian language, the name of the tomato, in many countries, originates from the Aztec tomatl (more precisely, the most correct word would be xitomatl, the stem xi- is lost During the years).
Generality
Clearly the undisputed protagonist of salads and typically Mediterranean fanciful dishes, the tomato owes its appearance in European lands to the Spanish conquistadores. Until the XVIII century, the tomato was cultivated only as an ornamental plant because its fruits (at the time with yellow peel) were considered toxic and poisonous. Reflecting, this theory is not completely groundless, considering that the tomato belongs to the same family of poisonous plants (eg belladonna); however, the fact is that the tomato is completely harmless - except, of course, for sensitive or allergic subjects.
The tomato, originating in Central and South America, although arriving in Europe in 1540, began to take hold only towards the second half of the 1600s. Soon, the cultivation of the vegetable spread like wildfire and, finding the climatic conditions more favorable, the tomato modified its garment from golden yellow (hence the name pomo d'oro) to the current ruby red.
He waited until 1700 to start the cultivation of the tomato for alimentary purposes, setting aside the ornamental ones; despite this, it should be noted that Italy was one of the very first states to present tomato in the kitchen.
Currently, cultivation techniques have become more and more refined; the demand for tomatoes has been very high for many years and the Italian export of these vegetables is now at the top of the world.
Botanical description
The cultivated tomato is known in botany as Solanum lycopersicum (or Lycopersicon esculentum according to what is established by the phytosanitary regulation): it is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Solanaceae family, whose red fruits are the emblem of Mediterranean cuisine and whole Italy.
The tomato plant has a climbing stem (or creeping): the Italian climate, too humid, could cause a progressive deterioration of the fruits and the creeping plant, for this reason it is preferable to make use of supports.
The stem of the tomato plant is covered by pubescent hairy leaves, pennatosette, which give off a characteristic and unmistakable fragrance: the leaves are rather large, irregular and each composed of several leaflets.
The development of stem or leaves can be determined or indeterminate:
- Determined development: in a precise moment, the apical bud turns into inflorescence, so that - at the level of the armpit of the pre-existing leaves - new shoots develop: in this way, the tomato plant assumes a typical bushy habit. In general, the determined development of the tomato plant is suitable for mechanized harvesting of fruits.
- Indeterminate development: the apical meristem (plant tissue used for reproduction) maintains the function of generating new leaflets throughout the life of the plant and, in the same way, the inflorescences continue to develop at the level of the axil of the leaves.
[Taken from the site: www.agraria.org]
Let us now continue the botanical description with the analysis of flowers.
The tomato flowers are grouped in inflorescences varying from 4 to 12, risen on the axil of the leaves; tomato flowers are small, bisexual and yellow in color.
Tomatoes are fleshy berries, of very variable shape and size depending on the species and variety. They remember:
- Elongated tomatoes: Maremma, San Marzano
- Smooth round tomatoes: Sunrise, Montecarlo
- Ribbed tomatoes: Samar, Pantano, Florentine
- Cherry and date tomatoes (cherry tomato)
- Inside hollow tomatoes: tomate à farcir
- Crushed, navel-shaped, globose-shaped tomatoes etc.
Generally, the color of the peel is scarlet red but, also in this case, the shade can assume different shades depending on the species: orange, yellow, greenish, red and green, etc. The typical ruby red color of the tomato is due to the presence of a colored pigment, lycopene.
The "portions" that divide the tomato are called loggias: each lodge is made up of numerous disk-shaped and flattened seeds.
Land and climate
As we know, the most widespread vegetable cultivation in the world - both for fresh consumption and for industrial use - is precisely the tomato: in any case, although Italy is a great producer of these fruits, the climate is not always favorable to its growth .
The tomato fears frost, so in the Italian climate the growth of the plant is favored exclusively during the summer:
- Minimum flowering temperature: 21 ° C
- Minimum germination temperature: 12 ° C
- Ideal daytime temperature for the development of tomatoes: 24-26 ° C
- Ideal night temperature for the development of tomatoes: 14-16 ° C
- Possible formation of defects in the tomato plant: temperature> 30 ° C
The tomato requires a rather dry climate: excessive humidity, in fact, can be responsible for rot and defects, both in tomatoes and in the whole plant.
The tomato requires well-drained soils, with a pH that is never too acidic (5.5-8).
Sodium, phosphorus and potassium are three minerals indispensable for the correct development of the tomato.
