Tomato and many other vegetables arrived in Europe and then in Italy only after that Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. Mais, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and many kind of beans were not known in the Old Continent. Now they are very very common on our tables and sometimes intimately connected with iconic italian dishes like pizza or spaghetti, but the road to success was not equally easy for all of them. For example, italian name for eggplant is melanzana, which comes from 'mela insana', literally 'unhealthy apple'.
But let's come to our Tomato. The first variety imported was the one who resembles cherries, like the ones we call Pachino now. Both leaves and berries went under examination to verify if they were fit for human consumption. The doctors discovered solanina, which was considered poisonous during the XVI century. So tomato was cultivated only as an ornamental plant for about two centuries. It was very indicated as gift for ladies instead of flowers.
But gossip is always stronger than science. At some point in 1700 somebody devised the 'real' reason behind the prohibition to eat tomato's berries. The Spanish government proscribed the poor tomato under the influence of Church because of its extraoirdinaire aphrodisiac properties. This gossip spread faster than light and... the rest is history.
So, is it so wrong to say that Pizza owes a lot to Sex (and Gossip)?
Posts
1 comment:
What a lovely story! In Croatia we call tomatoes, PARADISE. Certainly, this must have been derived from the myth of the aphrodisiac properties of the red fruit. Gastronomy was certainly one of the most creative endeavors of humanity.
Post a Comment