https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-years-863735/

In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.

A nickname for the fruit was the €œpoison apple€� because it was thought that aristocrats got sick and died after eating them, but the truth of the matter was that wealthy Europeans used pewter plates, which were high in lead content. Because tomatoes are so high in acidity, when placed on this particular tableware, the fruit would leach lead from the plate, resulting in many deaths from lead poisoning. No one made this connection between plate and poison at the time; the tomato was picked as the culprit.

Around 1880, with the invention of the pizza in Naples, the tomato grew widespread in popularity in Europe. But theres a little more to the story behind the misunderstood fruits stint of unpopularity in England and America, as Andrew F. Smith details in his The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture, and Cookery. The tomato didnt get blamed just for what was really lead poisoning. Before the fruit made its way to the table in North America, it was classified as a deadly nightshade, a poisonous family of Solanaceae plants that contain toxins called tropane alkaloids.

One of the earliest-known European references to the food was made by the Italian herbalist, Pietro Andrae Matthioli, who first classified the €œgolden apple€� as a nightshade and a mandrake€”a category of food known as an aphrodisiac. The mandrake has a history that dates back to the Old Testament; it is referenced twice as the Hebrew word dudaim, which roughly translates to €œlove apple.€� (In Genesis, the mandrake is used as a love potion). Matthiolis classification of the tomato as a mandrake had later ramifications. Like similar fruits and vegetables in the solanaceae family€”the eggplant for example, the tomato garnered a shady reputation for being both poisonous and a source of temptation. (Editors note: This sentence has been edited to clarify that it was the mandrake, not the tomato, that is believed to have been referenced in the Old Testament)

But what really did the tomato in, according to Smiths research, was John Gerards publication of Herball in 1597 which drew heavily from the agricultural works of Dodoens and lEcluse (1553). According to Smith, most of the information (which was inaccurate to begin with) was plagiarized by Gerard, a barber-surgeon who misspelled words like Lycoperticum in the collections rushed final product. Smith quotes Gerard:

Gerard considered "the whole plant to be "of ranke and stinking savour.€¦ The fruit was corrupt which he left to every mans censure. While the leaves and stalk of the tomato plant are toxic, the fruit is not.

Gerards opinion of the tomato, though based on a fallacy, prevailed in Britain and in the British North American colonies for over 200 years.

Around this time it was also believed that tomatoes were best eaten in hotter countries, like the fruits place of origin in Mesoamerica. The tomato was eaten by the Aztecs as early as 700 AD and called the €œtomatl,€� (its name in Nahuatl), and wasnt grown in Britain until the 1590s. In the early 16th century, Spanish conquistadors returning from expeditions in Mexico and other parts of Mesoamerica were thought to have first introduced the seeds to southern Europe. Some researchers credit Cortez with bringing the seeds to Europe in 1519 for ornamental purposes. Up until the late 1800s in cooler climates, tomatoes were solely grown for ornamental purposes in gardens rather than for eating. Smith continues:

John Parkinson the apothecary to King James I and botanist for King Charles I, procalimed that while love apples were eaten by the people in the hot countries to "coole and quench the heate and thirst of the hot stomaches,€� British gardeners grew them only for curiousity and fo the beauty of the fruit.

The first known reference to tomato in the British North American Colonies was published in herbalist William Salmons Botanologia printed in 1710 which places the tomato in the Carolinas. The tomato became an acceptable edible fruit in many regions, but the United States of America werent as united in the 18th and early 19th century. Word of the tomato spread slowly along with plenty of myths and questions from farmers. Many knew how to grow them, but not how to cook the food.

By 1822, hundreds of tomato recipes appeared in local periodicals and newspapers, but fears and rumors of the plants potential poison lingered. By the 1830s when the love apple was cultivated in New York, a new concern emerged. The Green Tomato Worm, measuring three to four inches in length with a horn sticking out of its back, began taking over tomato patches across the state. According to The Illustrated Annual Register of Rural Affairs and Cultivator Almanac (1867) edited by J.J. Thomas, it was believed that a mere brush with such a worm could result in death. The description is chilling:

The tomato in all of our gardens is infested with a very large thick-bodied green worm, with oblique white sterols along its sides, and a curved thorn-like horn at the end of its back.

According to Smiths research, even Ralph Waldo Emerson feared the presence of the tomato-loving worms: They were €œan object of much terror, it being currently regarded as poisonous and imparting a poisonous quality to the fruit if it should chance to crawl upon it.€�

Around the same time period, a man by the name of Dr. Fuller in New York was quoted in The Syracuse Standard, saying he had found a five-inch tomato worm in his garden. He captured the worm in a bottle and said it was €œpoisonous as a rattlesnake€� when it would throw spittle at its prey. According to Fullers account, once the skin came into contact with the spittle, it swelled immediately. A few hours later, the victim would seize up and die. It was a €œnew enemy to human existence,€� he said. Luckily, an entomologist by the name of Benjamin Walsh argued that the dreaded tomato worm wouldnt hurt a flea. Thomas continues:

Now that we have become familiarized with it these fears have all vanished, and we have become quite indifferent towards this creature, knowing it to be merely an ugly-looking worm which eats some of the leaves of the tomato€¦

The fear, it seems, had subsided. With the rise of agricultural societies, farmers began investigating the tomatos use and experimented with different varieties. According to Smith, back in the 1850s the name tomato was so highly regarded that it was used to sell other plants at market. By 1897, innovator Joseph Campbell figured out that tomatoes keep well when canned and popularized condensed tomato soup.

Today, tomatoes are consumed around the world in countless varieties: heirlooms, romas, cherry tomatoes€”to name a few. More than one and a half billion tons of tomatoes are produced commercially every year. In 2009, the United States alone produced 3.32 billion pounds of fresh-market tomatoes. But some of the plants night-shady past seems to have followed the tomato in pop culture. In the 1978 musical drama/ comedy €œAttack of the Killer Tomatoes,€� giant red blobs of the fruit terrorize the country. €œThe nation is in chaos. Can nothing stop this tomato onslaught?€�
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"A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
...
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-years-863735/

In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.

<read and snipped>

Thanks! Very interesting!

On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>
> "A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
> ...
> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-years-863735/
>
>
> In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
>
> <read and snipped>
>
> Thanks! Very interesting!

Basic food history. In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
running around wearing powdered wigs.

Jill

On Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 6:59:26 AM UTC-4, jmcquown wrote:
> On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
> >
> > "A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-years-863735/
> >
> >
> > In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
> >
> > <read and snipped>
> >
> > Thanks! Very interesting!
>
> Basic food history. In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
> running around wearing powdered wigs.
>
> Jill

Yeah, I'm surprised every doesn't know these things about tomatoes.

OTOH, in the early 2100s, there are a lot of idiots running around, too.
Our 18th Century forebears were as smart as us and did some amazing
stuff.

Cindy Hamilton

On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 06:59:19 -0400, jmcquown >
wrote:

>On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>> "A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-years-863735/
>>
>>
>> In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
>>
>> <read and snipped>
>>
>> Thanks! Very interesting!
>
>Basic food history. In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
>running around wearing powdered wigs.

Now they all live in gated communities.

On Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 7:32:22 AM UTC-4, Bruce wrote:
> On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 06:59:19 -0400, jmcquown >
> wrote:
>
> >On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
> >>
> >> "A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-years-863735/
> >>
> >>
> >> In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
> >>
> >> <read and snipped>
> >>
> >> Thanks! Very interesting!
> >
> >Basic food history. In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
> >running around wearing powdered wigs.
>
> Now they all live in gated communities.

Are you aware that gated communities are a perfectly rational response
to a justifiable fear of home invasion? One million home invasions take
place every year, and 27% of those result in homeowner injury.

Gated communities are, of course, not the only rational response. My
husband keeps a gun on hand (but locks it away when we both are away
from the house).

Cindy Hamilton

On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 04:39:12 -0700 (PDT), Cindy Hamilton
> wrote:

>On Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 7:32:22 AM UTC-4, Bruce wrote:
>> On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 06:59:19 -0400, jmcquown >
>> wrote:
>>
>> >On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>> >>
>> >> "A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
>> >> ...
>> >> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-years-863735/
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
>> >>
>> >> <read and snipped>
>> >>
>> >> Thanks! Very interesting!
>> >
>> >Basic food history. In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
>> >running around wearing powdered wigs.
>>
>> Now they all live in gated communities.
>
>Are you aware that gated communities are a perfectly rational response
>to a justifiable fear of home invasion? One million home invasions take
>place every year, and 27% of those result in homeowner injury.
>
>Gated communities are, of course, not the only rational response. My
>husband keeps a gun on hand (but locks it away when we both are away
>from the house).

I'm glad I don't live in the US.

Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>
> On Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 7:32:22 AM UTC-4, Bruce wrote:
> > On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 06:59:19 -0400, jmcquown >
> > wrote:
> >
> > >On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
> > >>
> > >> "A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
> > >> ...
> > >> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-years-863735/
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
> > >>
> > >> <read and snipped>
> > >>
> > >> Thanks! Very interesting!
> > >
> > >Basic food history. In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
> > >running around wearing powdered wigs.
> >
> > Now they all live in gated communities.
>
> Are you aware that gated communities are a perfectly rational response
> to a justifiable fear of home invasion? One million home invasions take
> place every year, and 27% of those result in homeowner injury.
>
> Gated communities are, of course, not the only rational response. My
> husband keeps a gun on hand (but locks it away when we both are away
> from the house).

But he does keep it out when you are at home?
Paranoid much?

I don't live in a gated community. I don't have a firearm. I
don't worry.

Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 7:32:22 AM UTC-4, Bruce wrote:
>> On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 06:59:19 -0400, jmcquown >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>>>
>>>> "A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-years-863735/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
>>>>
>>>> <read and snipped>
>>>>
>>>> Thanks! Very interesting!
>>>
>>> Basic food history. In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
>>> running around wearing powdered wigs.
>>
>> Now they all live in gated communities.
>
> Are you aware that gated communities are a perfectly rational response
> to a justifiable fear of home invasion? One million home invasions take
> place every year, and 27% of those result in homeowner injury.
>
> Gated communities are, of course, not the only rational response. My
> husband keeps a gun on hand (but locks it away when we both are away
> from the house).
>
> Cindy Hamilton
>

Oh hush. You know perfectly well how sensitive bruce is. And he is
not allowed to have a firearm, so don't even mention stuff like that.

Be nice!

jmcquown wrote:
>
> In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
> running around wearing powdered wigs.

Yeah, what was up with that? Don't some still wear them in
England? Like in courts?

On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 08:02:18 -0400, Gary > wrote:

>jmcquown wrote:
>>
>> In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
>> running around wearing powdered wigs.
>
>Yeah, what was up with that? Don't some still wear them in
>England? Like in courts?

Yes. In Australia too maybe. Weirdos

On 6/23/2019 6:59 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>> "A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...-years-863735/
>>
>>
>> In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
>>
>> <read and snipped>
>>
>> Thanks! Very interesting!
>
> Basic food history.Â* In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
> running around wearing powdered wigs.
>
> Jill

Wait a minute. They are out of style? No wonder people stare at me.

jmcquown wrote:

> On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
> >
> >"A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
> ...
> > https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...mato-was-feare
> > d-in-europe-for-more-than-200-years-863735/ In the late 1700s, a
> > large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
> >
> > <read and snipped>
> >
> > Thanks! Very interesting!
>
> Basic food history. In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
> running around wearing powdered wigs.
>
> Jill

Not to ention Romans were making pizza (though without tomato) before
Julias Ceasar was born.

On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 15:50:36 -0500, "cshenk" > wrote:

>jmcquown wrote:
>
>> On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>> >
>> >"A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...mato-was-feare
>> > d-in-europe-for-more-than-200-years-863735/ In the late 1700s, a
>> > large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
>> >
>> > <read and snipped>
>> >
>> > Thanks! Very interesting!
>>
>> Basic food history. In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
>> running around wearing powdered wigs.
>>
>> Jill
>
>Not to ention Romans were making pizza (though without tomato) before
>Julias Ceasar was born.

BC doesn't stand for Before Caesar, you know.

On Mon, 24 Jun 2019 06:57:00 +1000, Bruce >
wrote:

>On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 15:50:36 -0500, "cshenk" > wrote:
>
>>jmcquown wrote:
>>
>>> On 6/22/2019 9:34 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>> >
>>> >"A Moose in Love" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>> > https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...mato-was-feare
>>> > d-in-europe-for-more-than-200-years-863735/ In the late 1700s, a
>>> > large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato.
>>> >
>>> > <read and snipped>
>>> >
>>> > Thanks! Very interesting!
>>>
>>> Basic food history. In the late 1700's there were a lot of idiots
>>> running around wearing powdered wigs.
>>>
>>> Jill
>>
>>Not to ention Romans were making pizza (though without tomato) before
>>Julias Ceasar was born.
>
>BC doesn't stand for Before Caesar, you know.

An Italian man here in our condos offered to do a Pizza Evening in the
party room. I nearly didn't bother, don't care that much for pizza,
but in the end did go. So glad I did, not like NA pizzas in the
least, my favourite was the one with chicken and gobs of mozzarella.