As with all good things in life, there are many superstitions connected to our beloved tomato.
Have you ever wondered why tomatoes were given the scientific name of Lycopersicon esculentum?
It stems from old German folklore. It was believed that members of the nightshade family, which includes tomatoes, were used by witches to produce werewolves.
This practice is known as lycanthropy. Indeed, the common German word for tomato translates to “wolf peach”. Linnaeus, the man who created the current scientific naming system of binomial nomenclature, recalled this legend and gave the tomato the name Lycopersicon esculentum.
It’s an age-old question that has even reached the Supreme Court of the United States—so what’s the answer?
If you’re having cocktails with a botanist, you’d best say that a tomato is most definitely scientifically a fruit, which are developed in the ovary of a flower along with its seeds. In this sense, there’s no question that the tomato is a fruit.
We’ve all heard of or even seen people throwing rotten tomatoes when disappointed in a live performance; indeed this is where popular movie reviewing and previewing site Rotten Tomatoes gets its name from.
But did people really throw rotten tomatoes at actors?
Well, obviously not during Shakespeare’s time since, as according to the website of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, tomatoes weren’t even available in England at that time. The site notes, though, that at the end of performances, the actors announced the following day’s features—and if people didn’t like it, they just might have thrown things.
By Michelle Fabio
A condiment of two names—so which is correct?
Is it ketchup or catsup?
According to World Wide Words, one of the earliest references to one of our favorite tomato-based products occurs in the 1711 book by Charles Lockyer, An Account of the Trade in India. And he calls it “Ketchup.”
The origins of the word are convoluted, apparently, but the short version is that it likely comes from a Chinese dialect. The original sauce was meant for fish—interesting since these days ketchup isn’t a very common addition to fish dishes.
It’s one of the most popular phrases in the English language, but do you know where it comes from?
Give yourself an heirloom if you recognize it from the 1937 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ classic film “Shall We Dance,” the seventh movie that the dancing pair filmed together.
The timeless “tomato” phrase comes from “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” a clever song written specially for the movie by Ira and George Gershwin; recently the American Film Institute named the catchy tune #34 on its 100 years…100 songs list.
You can get more information on this enjoyable film on, where else, Rotten Tomatoes, and watch a clip of the famous tomato scene here:
Pizza is one of the world’s most favorite foods and most favorite ways to enjoy tomatoes, but before we get to the question at hand, do you where pizza comes from?
If you guessed Naples, Italy, go grab yourself a slice of the good stuff.
If you want to be traditional about it, you’ll go for what is called a “Pizza Margherita” in Italy, so-named because in 1800, a baker named Raffaele Esposito was presented with the daunting task of serving King Umberto and Queen Margherita. Read the rest of this entry »
By Vanessa Richins
By Michelle Fabio
By Michelle Fabio
By Michelle Fabio
