Il Pomodoro: Orgins of the Name of an Italian Favorite

By Michelle Fabio

In the English language, we know our favorite fruit as a tomato, but the Italians call it something completely different: “il pomodoro.” Doesn’t it just roll off your tongue?

But where does that name come from?

First we need to go back to the beginning. Although tomatoes are a relatively new addition to the dinner table, the Italians were some of the first to regularly use (and love) these strange fruits brought from The New World to Europe–the English and Americans still thought they were poisonous for another couple hundred years.

And so it is only fitting that the Italian name for the tomato reflects its golden status in the culture’s cuisine. One theory is that the reference to “oro” (gold) comes from the color of those early tomato skins or from the verb “adorare” (to adore).
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