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Tomato
"Lycopersicon esculentum

Special points of interest:

- Excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, chromium, biotin, molybdenum and copper.

- Very good source of potassium, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), manganese, Vitamin B1(thiamin), Vitamin B2(riboflavin), Vitamin B3(niacin), Vitamin B5(pantothenic acid) and folate.

• Good source of magnesium, phosphorus, Vitamin E, tryptophan, iron and protein.
• A one cup serving or raw, ripe, red tomatoes contains only 37 calories.
• Contains calcium and beta-carotene.
• Raw tomatoes reduce liver inflammation.
• Botanically speaking, the tomato is a fruit.
• Legally speaking, however, it is a vegetable. This was decided by the US Supreme Court well over a Century ago.

The History of Tomatoes

Tomatoes are originally native to the western region of South America, including the Galapagos Islands. The tomato was not cultivated in South America, but rather, in Mexico, supposedly because the fruit resembled the tomatillo, which was a staple in the diet of the Mexican Indians. Aztecs and Incas were cultivating tomatoes as far back as 700AD.

Shortly after Christopher Columbus's discovery of the "New World", Spanish conquistadors who traveled to Mexico "discovered" the tomato, and took the seeds back to Spain, and their popularity spread quickly to Portugal and Italy.

As the tomato traveled north, it gained in popularity. The French Tomatoes: referred to it as "The Apple of Love", while the Germans called it "The Apple of Paradise". The British, however, did not place tomatoes on their lists of consumable foods, as they believed them to be poisonous. The early Colonists in New England also believed that the fruit was poisonous, because it was a member of the deadly Nightshade family. It wasn't until the Creoles of New Orleans happily showed the colonists that tomatoes greatly enhanced their jambalayas and gumbos that the colonists began consuming them, and by the mid 1800's, tomatoes became a very popular kitchen garden cultivar. The people of Maine followed suit, combining fresh tomatoes with local seafood.

By 1850, the tomato had become a very important produce item in every North American city. Today, the United States, Italy, Russia, Spain, China, and Turkey are among the top selling commercial producers of the tomato.

The Benefits of Tomatoes

Tomatoes are rich in a carotenoid nutrient called lycopene. Lycopene is a plant pigment considered to be a more powerful antioxidant than beta carotene. Studies have shown that lycopene is extremely effective in reducing the risks of many types of cancer, including colon, rectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung and stomach.

The antioxidant function of lycopene has been linked in research to prevent heart disease. Diets rich in potassium have also been shown to lower high blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. Tomatoes also contain P-coumaric and chlorogenic acid, two other cancer-fighting phytochemicals.

Tomatoes are also rich in biotin, a B-Vitamin involved in the metabolism of both fat and sugar. Eating tomatoes can improve your energy production, skin health and your nervous system function. Vitamin K activates osteocalcin, maintaining strong and healthy bones. The folate in tomatoes can help reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Classification

Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanceae

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