Ethnobotany of the Tomato Plant
The origin of the cultivated tomato is somewhat unclear. Ethnobotanists and geneticists however have attempted to track down the centre of domestication. "The genus Lycopersicon- the botanical group to which the tomato belongs- is native to western South America, and only Lycopersicon lycopersicum var. cerasiforme, the wild cherry form of the cultivated species, has spread throughout Latin America and the New World Tropics. Second, the tomato was not known in Europe until after the discovery and conquest of America, descriptions and drawings first appearing in the European herbals of the middle and late 16th century. Third, these writings clearly reveal that man had been trying to improve the size of the tomato and the diversity of its shape and color. These achievements over the wild ancestors were almost certainly achieved by early man in America. Mexico appears to have been the site of domestication and the source of the earliest introductions, and the wild cherry tomato was probably the immediate ancestor." As a matter of fact, "the bulk of the historical, linguistic, archaeological and ethnobotanical evidence favours Mexico, particularly the Vera Cruz-Puebla area, as the source of the cultivated tomatoes that were first transported to the Old World. " Although the origin of the tomato is somewhat clouded, there is no doubt that the cultigen of today has had a long journey.
When the tomato finally made its way to Europe, the public responded with fear for several probable reasons. First, tomatoes belong to the family Solanaceae, which includes Datura and Belladonna - the deadly nightshade, among other poisonous species. The assumption was that tomatoes must be poisonous as well. Second, in Germany, because of its terrible smell, the tomato plant was rejected. The tomato acquired names like the "Devil's wolf apple." This great fear of toxicity of the tomato plant probably prevented its utilization for many centuries. Today, the toxicity of the Solanaceae family has been studied extensively, and it has been found that most of the species are posionous. Obviously Belladonna and Datura are among the more poisonous members of the family, but the potato plant is also quite toxic. Lycopersicon spp., which are less toxic than the other members of the family, contain tomatine, a toxic glycoalkaloid .
Many wild relatives of the tomato such as Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme, L. chilense, L. peruvianum, L. hirsutum, and L. pimpinellifolium are among the richest genetic pools available for cross breeding.
Tomatoland is a book written by Barry Estabrook, an investigative food journalist. Throughout the pages of Tomatoland, Estabrook explores the path of tomatoes, from the seed in South America to the hands of migrant workers in the fields of Florida. Through his exploration he discovers several issues that exist within the fresh tomato industry in Florida. Two of the major issues that he discovers include the use of highly toxic chemicals that cause severe damage to the health of humans and the environment, and the exploitation of migrant workers. Estabrook directly blames the continuation of such issues on those who support the tomato industry, “it’s a world we’ve all made, and one we can fix”; this includes consumers, crew bosses, the government and the corporate farm owners, like the executives and those who work in the business side of farming. Although there are many who are at fault, Estabrook directs his blame more towards the government and the farms corporate owners. Estabrook’s assessment of blame is substantial because the government and owners of the tomato corporations are the ones who have the strongest power towards regulations and production.
Salsa is a well known dish that is made in many ways. In the original times, it was made with a coalescence of chilies, tomatoes, and other spices. The original way of making salsa has been altered since the beginning. It originated back in the times of the Aztec, Mayan, and Inca civilizations(“History Of Salsa Food”). According to “History of Salsa Sauce”, The origin of salsa came from the South American region, mainly from the Spanish speaking countries (Lifestylelounge,lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/history-of-salsa-food). The Spanish people found tomatoes and they added the ingredient into the
The expansion of European plants into the New World commenced with Columbus's second voyage (Crosby, 67). Columbus loaded his seventeen ship fleet with seeds and crop-producing fruits ...
I will examine the importation of tomatoes from Mexico and the social and economic impact it has on the indigenous people involved in its production. I shall also examine the logistics required for it to reach American consumers and the everyday importance of this commodity in the daily lives of Americans.
The first genetically manipulated food was tomatoes, they entered markets in 1994. Tomatoes are being planted all over the world. Scientists have been studying new ways to improve tomato harvesting and what better way to do so than genetic manipulation. The aim in genetically manipulating tomatoes and mostly every other crop is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species in order to enhance its beneficial traits for us humans. In this procedure, breeders must know exactly which gene(s) they need or else it might affect the giving organism and the receiving organism. Then they isolate those gene(s) of interest with a restriction enzyme that cuts DNA into small fragments. The desired gene(s) must be copied from gene(s) that were extracted. This is called gene cloning. The gene may be modified slightly to work in a more desirable way once inside the recipient organism. The recipient organism is basically the receiving organism. The new gene(s), called a transgene is delivered into the cells (especially the reproductive cells) of the r...
In the book, The Came Before Columbus by Ivan van Sertina, it was stated "The American cotton has an African ancestor" which explained how people traveled to survive based on cotton. This statement is the exact example why the study of plants is necessary, in reference to cotton. Is is important to know the plants origin to understand they type of environment the need to thrive in, and how the plant functions can help humans use the plant. Plants help with almost everything, we use them for our food, medicine, and cosmetics. As scientist are learning more about plants, the world can thrive more with the help of plants since some are essential to
When humans travel, they often brought their plants and animals with them. Early man brought their dogs with them, even to the Americas, while much later settlers also brought their cows, horses, and agricultural plants to the New World. However, things also traveled the other way, and potatoes and corn became widespread in the rest of the world after the Europeans brought it back from the Amer...
The tomato was domesticated in Mexico and also in South American regions and began actual cultivation in 500 BC. When Spanish Conquerors and explorers came to Central and South America, they took this green fruit back to Europe in 1521 AD. Very soon after being brought to Spain, the sweet and juicy fruit was used to add a new taste to old dishes. Like the other ingredients included in the above paragraphs, the tomato migrated through the ships of explorers to Cuba and was planted for future domestication. The tomato is used in arroz con pollo as a paste to add flavor and also to mix the other spices together.
Heirloom vegetables may look the same as any other vegetables, but they are far from ordinary. The only difference is that they were not crossbred with other planted vegetables. When vegetables are referred to as heirloom it just means that they are from an old crop (“Hot Food Trend 2017”). Heirloom vegetables have many positive benefits. Many cooks prefer using heirloom vegetables because of their positive effects. Today’s society should be more open to the trend of heirloom vegetables because of their effects on health, their environmental effects, and their appealing attributes.
Today, belladona is a very important plant to science and the medical field because of its chemical content. Dioscorides knew of the active constituent of this species in the first century, but it wasn't "discovered" for another eighteen hundred-years. In 1809, the chemical was isolated and by 1819 it was classified an "alkaloid." Today, we know that belladona contains atropine, scopolomine and hyoscyamine. According to the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, "atropine is extremely poisonous."(2) It is so potent that a dilution of only 1 part in 130,000 parts water is sufficient to dilate the pupil of a cats eye.
...ortation of plants, fruits, vegetables, and animals. Indiscriminate pesticide use kills the good with the bad. Long term and wide spread pesticide use poisons underground water sources, which, in turn, poison plants, animals, and humans. And, finally, by our uninformed actions, new super races of pests continue to evolve and create even greater dangers than the original.
Martineau, Belinda. First Fruit: The Creation of the Flavr Savr Tomato and the Birth of
...atoes, corns, and peppers, were introduced into the Old Word; while coffee, oranges, banana and sugar cane were introduced into the Americas. Potato was one of the most important crops in the World that was introduced into the Old world. As a substitute for wheat, potatoes provided billions of people food to survive worldwide. However, diseases also rose among potato plants and destroyed millions of plants and caused famine which killed millions of people. The origin of potatoes was first found to be domesticated by South America Andes and learned by Europeans, and then it was spread into Africa, Asian and at last North America. Potatoes also caused political, social and economic issues from its production, such as late blight, the Great Famine, and increase in Chinese population; these issues had brought some serious consequences that even lasted until modern days.
The process involved in the cultivation, production and science of Grapes is called Viticulture. Grape cultivations one of the oldest cultivation in mankind after grains, that dates back to 7000 years during the Neolithic period. Viticulture originated from the Mediterranean region & spread across Middle East & Asia & gradually to the world. It’s in the records that the 1st grape harvest occurred 5400 B.C in region where present day Georgia & Armenia countries are called. Earlier it was practiced by the Greeks; Romans & Babylonians to the Egyptians, in these regions people have derived wine out of grapes.
Tomato is one of the most popular homegrown fruit plant; it goes by many names such as wolf apple, tamata, love apple, among others. Their exist many varieties and classifications of tomatoes among them are Roma, Cherokee purples, and Creole, and varieties such as heirloom, red tomatoes and cherry and grape tomatoes. Tomatoes typically take between 75 and 95 days to mature; a healthy tomato yield requires the plantation of a variety of the plant. Homegrown tomato fruits are usually just as fresh as the ones grown in the garden.