Tomato
Some things you might not know about tomatoes:
- There are around 7500 varieties of tomato grown
- They contain lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants.
- Technically a tomato fruit is classified as a berry
- The leaves of tomato plants are poisonous
- The heaviest tomato ever grown was one of 3.51 kg
Botanical Information
Family: Solanaceae
Scientific Name: Solanum lycopersicum L. (described here)
Etymology: Solanum (nightshade) lyco (wolf) persicum (peach)
Uses: Cooking, raw and cooked.
History: The tomato originated in the highlands of South America and was brought to europe by Spanish explorers in the late 15th or early 16th century.