Some interesting facts about tomatoes:
- Tomatoes, Lycopersicon esculentum, are probably the most popular “vegetable” grown worldwide. Botanically they are fruits, not vegetables and belong to the nightshade family.
- Tomatoes are very low in calories (17 kcal /100g), and therefore an ideal food for weight reducing
- The Spanish name “pomodoro” literally means “golden apple” and refers to the original yellow colour of the tomato!
- They were first brought to Europe in the mid 1500’s.
- There are over 10,000 varieties of tomato, these come in a variety of colours including pink, purple, black, yellow and white.
- Tomatoes increase in weight as they ripen, even after harvesting.
- Tomatoes are a valuable source of food minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamins A and C.
- Fresh ripe tomatoes feature beautiful bright-red color and have a rich fruity flavor.
- 94.5% of tomato’s weight is water.
- Tomato juice is the official state beverage of Ohio, and state vegetable of New Jersey.
