Violet, Sienna and Gray: Tuesday's Recipe: Hint-5 Things You Never Knew About the Tomato

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Tuesday's Recipe: Hint-5 Things You Never Knew About the Tomato

It's August. How can I share anything other than tomato recipes? (Yes, plural!) I am also going to share five little things you never (I'm betting) knew about the tomato. And, yes, this picture is actually the tomatoes from my garden! What to do with them all???
But, let's look into a little tomato folklore!

First:  Did you know in Colonial times, it was thought that the tomato was poisonous and one bite would turn your blood to acid; they were grown for decoration only.
Second:   The early bad reputation came from the fact that they looked like the plant "deadly nightshade" of the Solanacae family, relating it to the German "wolf peach"; yes, used to call up the werewolves!!
Third:  The French call it the "pomme d'amore", Apple of Love. But, historians generally think  this was a misuse of the Spanish term, "pome dei Moro" or Apple of the Moors.
Fourth:   It is generally accepted that the tomato originated in South America, was taken back to Europe and then brought, the long way, to America.
Fifth:  The reason most of us think it is a vegetable, rather than the fruit that it is, is because our early government threw it into a higher taxable category by calling it a vegetable!



Now for the good part! This first recipe is from the cookbook, " Around My French Table" by Dorie Greenspan. (Awesome cookbook, sent to me for Christmas, by my sister-in-law, who is a chef and caterer in Philadelphia.) The cook book is available through my website, www.kathryngrayart.com, look under Art Books for Cook Books. Watermelon, Tomatoes and Mozarella!  Ok, so I promised more than one recipe! My DEAR friend went out of her way to drop off this wonderful Tomato Pie recipe today. We all have good ones, but, I'm not sure if it's just her touch, or if this truly is one of the better ones! Thank you, K. for your super speedy reply today! Enjoy! (But, seriously, you could buy the pie shell!)


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