Health

Tomato Description

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, syn. Lycopersicon lycopersicum & Lycopersicon esculentum) is a perennial, herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the family of Solanaceae. It is cultivated for the purpose of harvesting its fruit for human consumption.

The tomato is a native of the area of the Andes Mountains. It is widely known as ‘Wolf Peach’ - peach because it was round and wolf because it was mistakenly considered to be toxic due to its botanical connection to the Solanaceae or nightshade family. The leaves, stems, and green unripe fruit of the tomato plant, as a member of the plant genus Solanum (nightshade), contain the poison solanine, which is toxic to humans and animals. The fresh fruit is, however, harmless.

Tomatoes are the best source of vitamin C and also contain vitamin A, calcium and potassium. The red pigmentation of tomatoes is called ‘Lycopene’, an antioxidant which help to combat free radical damage in the body. Though raw tomatoes are rich in beta-carotene and lycopene cooking them a bit releases the health benefits in entirety. Tomatoes do not lose any of their nutritional values when cooked or pureed.

There are over a thousand varieties of tomatoes that vary in shape, size and color. There are small cherry tomatoes, bright yellow tomatoes, Italian pear-shaped tomatoes, and the green tomato, famous for its fried preparation in Southern American cuisine.

Tomato is the ubiquitous vegetable found in every Indian kitchen, it enhances the taste of foods like sauces, chutneys and gravy preparations.