Do you know where tomatoes originated? Nope, it wasn’t in Italy, home to pasta sauce and pizza. And it did not originate in North America, Africa, or Asia. The plants are native to the Andes region of South America. They originated in Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru. Over thousands of years, the plants spread across South and Central America, and then into North America. There are over 10,000 cultivars. Despite the fact that the plants originated in South America, some of the 10,0000 cultivars were developed in other parts of the world.

Hernando Cortez, a Spanish Conquistador from Medellin, Spain is credited with discovering tomato plants. During an expedition in 1519, Cortez found them growing in Central America. Cortez brought seeds back to Europe. At first, Europeans grew tomatoes as a decorative plant and did not eat them. As a member of the deadly nightshade family, many people thought the fruit was poisonous. It took a long time for people to overcome this misconception and take their first bite of this delicious and nutritious fruit.

In the 1550s, Italians were the first Europeans bold enough to eat tomatoes. Early American settlers did not initially consider them food either. Americans did not begin to eat them until the late 1700s. Records show that Thomas Jefferson grew them in his garden for consumption.

Despite not being considered a food item for many years, once people began eating them, they found them to be delicious eaten fresh or cooked. It quickly crept into countless recipes. About 90% of people like them.

Did You Know? The French called them “pomme d’amour”. The English translation is “love apples”.