0
- The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), native to South America, was transported to Mexico by Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Mayans.
- B.C. Cultivated in Southern Mexico and possibly other regions for as long as 500 BC, the fruit of the tomato was used in cooking by the Aztecs and other peoples of the region. The exact date of cultivation of tomato is not known.
- The word "tomato" comes from the Nahuatl word tomatl . The meaning of the word is " swelling fruit ".
- Tomato was first described as a type of eggplant by Pietro Andrea Mattioli in 1544. Mattioli; These fruits, which are red or golden on the plants, were brought to Italy. Ten years later, the tomato was called the epomi d'oro or " golden apple ". Many European countries took this name as inspiration, and the Germans called the tomato " goldapfel ". Convinced that tomatoes are a source of aphrodisiacs, the French called the tomato " love apples ".
- After the Spanish colonized the Americas, tomatoes spread to the Caribbean colonies, then to the Philippines, then to Southeast Asia and then to the entire Asian continent.
- Tomatoes of different sizes are grown, from 1-2 cm in size of blueberries to beef tomatoes with a diameter of 10 cm.
- Between May 2005 and April 2006, 32,194 tomatoes were harvested from a single plant; It entered the Guinness World Record as "the most harvested tomato in a year from a single plant". The weight of this record-breaking plant was 522,464 kg.
- Believe it or not, tomatoes have gone into space. As part of the ' Tomatosphere I, II, III and IV' experiments, 600,000 tomato seeds traveled to the International Space Station to better understand the impact of space on seed growth and development.
- Processed tomatoes are naturally the richest source of lycopene we have available. Lycopene is a very powerful antioxidant, and research shows that people who consume a lot of tomato products have a lower risk of lung, prostate, and stomach cancer. Watermelon, pink grapefruit, and fresh tomatoes are also good sources of lycopene.
- According to the database of the International Union for Conservation of New Plant Varieties (UPOV), there are more than 20,000 tomatoes registered in the world, and a little more than 5,000 cultivars have been applied for breeding rights.
- Tomatoes are not always red! It is true that most tomato varieties produce red fruit, but varieties with yellow, orange, pink, purple, green, brown, black or white fruit are also available. There are also varieties with multi-colored or striped fruits.
- According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about 181 million tons of tomatoes were produced in 2019. China , which meets 35% of the world's tomato production, ranks first, followed by India and Turkey as major producers.