Tomatoes originated in the Andes mountains, mainly in Ecuador and Peru. There are many species of wild tomatoes, but they look nothing like the varieties we use today.
As is often the case, scientists change the Latin names of plants from time to time, which causes confusion. A case in point is the common market tomato Lycopersicum esculentum, which was changed to Solanum lycopersicum. Bear this in mind when reading old literature on tomatoes.
CHERRY TOMATOES
Tomatoes arrived rather late to our tables compared with most other vegetables; they have been in use for only a few hundred years.
They were originally regarded with suspicion, as so many members of the Solanum genus are poisonous. The French at one time called them ‘love apples', believing them to have aphrodisiac properties. Tomatoes were also used initially as ornamental plants.
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Denne historien er fra May 20, 2022-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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