Curiosity
The primitive term golden apple over the years it was transformed into the most immediate literal translation: golden apple or, more simply, tomato, in homage 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, due to its original flavor, ruby color and innumerable beneficial properties, both presumed and real.
Tomatoes Stuffed With Rice And Tuna
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Names of the tomato
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 "apple of gold"; this term, before transforming into the current one, underwent various changes in the course of history: among all, we remember the "pomme d" amour ", a typically French expression because all "vegetable were attributed aphrodisiac potential.
C "is that he even believes that the name tomato is the result of a distortion of the expression" apple of the Moors ": the red fruit, in fact, belongs to the same family as the aubergines, a vegetable that, in the past, was the favorite and the more widespread throughout the Arab world.
But the story on the nomenclature of the tomato is not over yet: except for the Italian language, the name of the tomato, in many countries, derives from the Aztec tomatl (more precisely, the more correct word would be xitomatl, the root xi- lost over the years).
Generality
Clearly the undisputed protagonist of salads and typically Mediterranean delicious dishes, the tomato owes its appearance in European lands to the Spanish conquistadors. Until the eighteenth century, the tomato was cultivated only as an ornamental plant because its fruits (at the time with yellow skin) were considered toxic and very poisonous. On reflection, this theory is not entirely without foundation, 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, clearly, for sensitive or allergic subjects.
The tomato, originally from 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 changed its appearance from golden yellow (hence the name pomo d "oro) to the current ruby red.
It was expected until 1700 to begin the cultivation of tomatoes for food purposes, putting aside the ornamental ones; despite this, it should be stressed that Italy was one of the very first states to present the tomato in the kitchen.
Currently, cultivation techniques have increasingly improved; 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 the phytosanitary regulation): it is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the family of Solanaceae, whose red fruits are the emblem of Mediterranean cuisine and of the whole of Italy.
The tomato plant has a climbing (or creeping) stem: the italic climate, excessively humid, could cause a progressive deterioration of the fruits and the plant creeping, precisely for this reason it is preferable to use supports.
The stem of the tomato plant is covered by pubescent hairy leaves, pinnatosette, which emanate a characteristic and unmistakable fragrance: the leaves are rather large, irregular and each made up of several leaflets.
The development of stem or leaves can be determined or indeterminate:
- Determined development: at a precise moment, the apical bud turns into an inflorescence, so that - at the level of the axilla of the pre-existing leaves - new shoots develop: in this way, the tomato plant assumes a typical bushy habit. determined development of the tomato plant is suitable for the 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 axilla of the leaves.
[Taken from the site: www.agraria.org]
Let us now continue the botanical description with the analysis of the flowers.
The tomato flowers are grouped in inflorescences ranging from 4 to 12, which arose on the axil of the leaves; the tomato flowers are small, bisexual and colored yellow.
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)
- Hollow tomatoes inside: go back to stuffing
- Flattened, navel, globose-shaped tomatoes, etc.
Generally, the skin color is scarlet red but, also in this case, the hue can take on different shades according to 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 loggia is made up of numerous disc-shaped and flattened seeds.
Soil and climate
As we know, the most widespread horticultural crop in the world - both for fresh consumption and for industrial use - is precisely the tomato: in any case, although Italy is a large producer of these fruits, the climate is not always favorable to its growth. .
The tomato cannot stand the frost, therefore in the Italian climate the growth of the plant is favored exclusively during the summer period:
- Minimum flowering temperature: 21 ° C
- Minimum germination temperature: 12 ° C
- Ideal daytime temperature for tomato development: 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
Tomatoes require a rather dry climate: excessive humidity, in fact, can be responsible for rot and defects, both in tomatoes and in the whole plant.
Tomatoes require well-drained soils, with a pH that is never excessively acidic (5.5-8).
Sodium, phosphorus and potassium are three essential minerals for the correct development of the tomato.
Other articles on "Tomato"
- Tomatoes: properties of tomatoes
- Summary on tomatoes
