Tomato (The Magical Food of the New World)

Author: Andrew Smith
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Tomatoes are one of the most popular fruits and vegetables in the world today, beloved by people of all social classes and regions, from the Americas to Australia, from Northern Europe to South Africa. They have satisfied people's cravings for food. However, before the 18th century, eating tomatoes was once taboo because people believed they were poisonous. Another view held that tomatoes were an aphrodisiac, known as the "love fruit," and as a result, missionaries banned them. Who was the first person to eat a tomato? How did the tomato travel from South America across the ocean to North America, Europe, and all over the world? How did it evolve from a legendary poison into a highly popular fashionable food? Author Andrew Smith explores these fascinating questions through compelling research, depicting the history of the tomato in human diets.