The development of the modern tomato

With tomatoes a major crop worldwide, it should come as no surprise that there are so many varieties, says Bill Kerr.

- Bill Kerr

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.