Delicooks

Tomato consumption has become so widespread that it would be hard to imagine living without it. Whether raw in salads or juices, cooked with different ingredients, caramelized, dried or as a sauce, we've become so used to tomatoes it's hard to conceive of us getting by in the kitchen without it. Different languages have honored it with evocative names such as "pomodoro" (golden apple) or "pomme d'amour" (love apple).
 
Origins of the tomato
 
Although debate persists over the exact area where the plant originated, there is broad agreement that the tomato (or tomato plant) comes from the north of the Andean region and that it was also was cultivated by the Aztecs. After the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century, the tomato spread throughout Europe, although at first it was prized as an ornamental plant because its flowers are toxic. Only in the seventeenth century, did its culinary use become popular. As a member of the Solanaceae family, the tomato has much in common with the potato, such as a shared history, origin and widespread use in use in cooking. 

Characteristics of tomato
 
The more sun the tomato receives and the more saline than the soil, the more intense will be the resulting red fruit, the flavor and sweetness. In contrast, tomatoes that have not ripened contain solanine, an alkaloid that produces headaches and other discomforts. So eating unripe tomatoes is not to be recommended.
 
Tomatoes found in supermarkets, have usually been artificially ripened off the plant. That is why they are rarely as tasty, fragrant or colorful as those harvested when ripe. Nevertheless, thanks to their consistency and fiber content, even these are highly suitable for salads.
 
The nutritional properties of tomato make them highly recommended as part of a balanced diet. Tomatoes have a high water content (93%) and very few calories, making them ideal for weight loss. They also contains carbohydrates, which are good for muscle activity, they regulate body temperature, blood pressure, the functioning of the intestines and the activity of neurons. Tomatoes also an important source of minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and they contain vitamins from group B and a high levels of vitamin C.
 
Vitamin C, along with lycopene, make this vegetable a potent antioxidant. Lycopene, from the family of beta-carotene, is the plant pigment responsible for the tomato's red color and is an antioxidant that protects against the harmful effects of free radicals, prevents cancer (especially prostate), presbyopia and cholesterol. Lycopene is found in other plants, but ever as concentrated as in the tomato – the redder the better. This substance is assimilated better if it has been subjected to heat, so it is more concentrated in cooked tomatoes, ketchup or tomato sauces than in raw tomatoes.
 
Tomato Varieties
 
Nowadays, more than 20,000 varieties of tomato are cultivated. Advances in the selection and cultivation methods mean that today's tomatoes can be regulated in terms of size, sweetness and acidity. For obvious reasons we will here look at some of the most common varieties. You can find more information on Delicooks on how to buy the different varieties and their features by clicking on each of the following varieties: Raf tomato, Roma tomato, Cherry tomatoes, pear tomatoes and Montserrat.