Tomatoes may be largely associated with the Italians now, thanks to their prevalence in Italian cuisine and their place as foundational to the pizza making process, but tomatoes are not originally an Italian fruit (that’s fruit officially, not vegetable).

It is believed and largely accepted by scholars that the tomato actually originates all the way across the sea (the Atlantic, that is).

From America And Back Again

The tomato was originally a crop of the Americas; not the united States, but the Central Americas. The first credited tomato farmers were the indigenous tribes of Central America and Mexico, with the honors going primarily to the Aztec and Incan tribes. The Aztecs and the Incas are known to have grown tomatoes for their own use from around 700 A.D.

It was not until the 16th Century that our ‘civilised’ European ancestors came to know the fruit. Explorers in the Americas in the 16th Century discovered the fruit among the indigenous peoples, and took it back with them to Europe. To say that it was love at first sight among us all would not be accurate, however.

Poison Tomatoes? – Not On Our Pizza!

The tomato was brought back and introduced in England, Spain, France, and Italy. The Spanish, French, and Italians took the fruit for all it was worth, but the English thought it to be poisonous, and so it remained of little use in English kitchens – ironic, seeing as how so much of the world was now enjoying, and not dying, from the tomato in numerous ways.

True to form, the English continued their tradition of tomato avoidance, and even took it with them around the world. As the colonists began to colonise in America, they continued to believe the tomato was dangerous, hence the title of this article – poison pizza!

It was not until the mid-1800’s that the tomato began to gain some acceptance, and it was not really trusted until later in the 19th century, as Italian fare and pizza came to have a stronger foothold in the hearts and stomachs of the anglo’s. Fortunately for us cooler heads prevailed, and our pizza here in Melbourne has a much more enticing flavour for it.

Aussie Pizza Connoisseur
Melbourne Pizza Delivery © 2009