What would our ancestors say if they saw us today, hunched over our seed catalogs, dreaming of our future garden tomatoes? They’d probably think we were mad! Because, yes, for almost 200 years in Europe, this fruit was considered a deadly poison. From “devil’s fruit” to vegetable star, the tomato has come a long way!
An Unsavory Family
Brought back from the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, the tomato was initially regarded as a mere botanical curiosity. Europeans, wary of this shiny red fruit, preferred to admire it in their gardens rather than on their plates. Some aristocrats even kept tomato plants in their pleasure gardens, alongside other exotic plants brought back from the New World, but tasting them was out of the question!
Mistrust of the tomato was not entirely unjustified. As many gardeners know, it belongs to the Solanaceae family, which includes the deadly belladonna, a plant so toxic it was used as a poison in the Middle Ages. With such a family, it’s hardly surprising that tomatoes arouse suspicion!
The Solanaceae family includes over 2,500 species, many of which have become staple foods: peppers, eggplants, potatoes… But all share one characteristic: the presence of alkaloids, chemical compounds that can be toxic to humans and animals.
In the case of tomatoes, these compounds are mainly tomatine and solanine, present in the green parts of the plant. Stems, leaves and even flowers contain enough to cause serious digestive problems if consumed. If you’re one of those people who likes to decorate your plates with flowers to impress visitors, do not, I repeat, DO NOT eat Solanaceae flowers!
Green fruits also contain these toxins. They only disappear when the fruit ripens. That’s why green tomatoes need to be cooked before eating: the heat breaks down some of the toxic compounds. Green ketchup lovers be warned!
Tomatoes Are Dangerous, the Dishes Say So!
What really gave tomatoes a bad name was… wealth! In those days, the wealthy ate from pewter plates, which reacted to the acidity of tomatoes, causing poisoning. Low income households, who ate from wooden plates, didn’t have this problem… but since no one gave them credit, tomatoes remained a poison to be avoided for generations.
The chemistry behind these poisonings is fascinating: the acidic compounds in tomatoes reacted with the cutlery. The pewter on the plates was often alloyed with lead, and when it came into contact with the acids, this lead became soluble. That’s how you get good tomato juice enriched with lead!
This heavy metal has a nasty tendency to accumulate in the body, causing symptoms that bear a striking resemblance to those of alkaloid poisoning: headaches, confusion, digestive problems…
The origins of these mysterious poisonings have led to all kinds of far-fetched theories. Some believed that tomatoes became toxic in the sun. In fact, this was not entirely untrue, since heat accelerates the chemical process between lead and acid. A plate left in the sun or simply used during the warmer (and sunnier) periods of the year was necessarily more “contaminating”.
Other hypotheses asserted that only certain people were susceptible to tomato poisoning, an idea encouraged by the fact that the little people could eat them without any problem! This is probably the only case in history where eating from wooden plates was more advantageous than eating from luxury crockery!
To think that today, eating on wood has become fancy!
A Cousin Who Changed the World
Ironically, while Europe was shunning the tomato, another Solanaceae was changing history: the potato. Also from the Americas, the potato became the staple of the European diet, enabling unprecedented demographic growth. Its ability to grow in poor soils and produce a lot of food per cultivated area made it a revolutionary crop.
The two plants share many characteristics: toxic green parts, an American origin, and an initial period of mistrust. But the potato had an ambassador of choice in Antoine Parmentier, who convinced Louis XVI of its value. But that’s another story that deserves its own article!
My point is this: if you grow potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), your plants may produce small “tomatoes”. These are really toxic (lead or not!). Conversely, if you grow tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), you should know that there are modified plants that can produce small potatoes! In fact, since the two species are closely related, growers sometimes have fun creating hybrids, grafting and other techniques.
But you can’t have it both ways! These plant curiosities require an enormous amount of resources to produce fruit AND reserves in their roots (potatoes). The harvest is therefore often disappointing, but the experience remains fascinating!
Rehabilitating the “Devil’s Fruit”
It wasn’t until the 19th century that tomatoes were finally understood. Public demonstrations of tomato tasting were organized to prove their harmlessness. The most famous of these “spectacles” took place in 1820 on the steps of the New Jersey courthouse, where Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson publicly ate an entire basket of tomatoes without dying! It was all to his advantage, by the way, since he was a farmer and horticulturist (in addition to having politician, judge, soldier, and historian on his resume. It takes me a long time to explain that I’m an expert biologist in the popularization of science).
In Italy
Italians have played a crucial role in this rehabilitation. They were among the first Europeans to adopt the tomato in their cuisine, creating sauces that have become emblematic of their gastronomy. The “golden apple” (pomodoro) has become such an important part of their culture that it’s hard to imagine Italian cuisine without tomatoes… even if they’ve only been around for a few centuries.
And Then in France
The French, initially reluctant, eventually succumbed too. The tomato became a staple of Provençal cuisine, giving rise to dishes like ratatouille, salade niçoise, stuffed tomatoes and even sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil! At the time, it was known as the “apple of love”, and tomato coulis (tomato sauce) was a turning point in the cuisine of southern France, particularly in rural areas. French botanists began to develop new varieties, bigger and tastier than their wild ancestors.
Modern Tomatoes
Today, the tomato is one of the most widely cultivated fruits in the world, with thousands of different varieties: from tiny cherry tomatoes to enormous beef hearts, from yellow to black, from green to striped, the diversity is impressive.
Scientists continue to develop new varieties. They’re looking to create tomatoes that are more resistant to disease, better adapted to northern climates, or richer in nutrients.
By the way, it’s February and time to choose your varieties. Our Quebec seed companies have endless catalogs! Personally, I’m pretty conservative and… I grow mostly leftover seeds that are given to me! Last year, I had to buy seeds and… there were so many that I was completely lost!
Which do you prefer? Simplicity, original varieties, big ones, small ones? I’m just curious!
From pizza sauce to BLT sandwiches, via grandma’s spaghetti sauce, the tomato now reigns as the undisputed queen of our kitchens. It has gone from deadly poison to super-food, rich in lycopene and vitamin C.
Just goes to show that even the worst reputations can change… with a little time, a lot of courage on the part of a few daring tomato lovers, and above all, lead-free plates!
It can be fun to simply purchase a nice tomatoe of your choice and use the seeds in that tomatoe rather than purchasing a package. To wake up the seeds I rinse them in a strainer and rub the seeds a bit against the strainer to get off the slimy stuff. That slimy stuff inhibits and protects the seed from growing so clean off the wet from the seed. Pat
I hate to contradict you, Ms. Harding, but 19th century Salem County N.J. is not the place famous for those witch trials. You’re confusing it with Salem, Ma., where some 30 people were found guilty of witchcraft between 1692 and 1693. Sickness in the jail caused a few to die, rather than burning at the stake or other gruesome punishments written about in horror fantasies.
Thank you very much for this very interesting article
How fascinating ! Food truly opens door to new cultures. Wonder how Italians made spaghetti before tomatoes !
In the last few years we have been growing the Cauralina tomatoe, large, meaty, sweet and few seeds. I enjoy them on “sink” sandwiches (with juicy tomatoe, cheese, lettuce and mayo, eat over the sink), in cooking and preserving.
Thank you for all this interesting information.