Tomato: A Global History

Description

In the history of food, the tomato is a relative newcomer, but it would now be impossible to imagine the food cultures of many nations without it. The journey taken by the tomato from its ancestral home in the southern Americas to Europe and back is a riveting story full of discovery, innovation, drama and dispute. Today the tomato is at the forefront of scientific advances and heritage conservation, but it has faced challenges every step of its way into our gardens and kitchens, not to mention the eternal question facing this food: is it a fruit or a vegetable? In Tomato: A Global History Clarissa Hyman charts the eventful history of this ubiquitous everyday item - one that is often taken for granted - covering everything from tomato soup and ketchup to heritage tomatoes, tomato varieties, breeding and genetics, nutrition, tomatoes in Italy, tomatoes in art and tomatoes for the future. Featuring delicious modern and historical recipes, such as the infamous 'man-winning tomato salad', this is a juicy and informative history of one of our most beloved foods.

Clarissa Hyman is a food and travel writer who contributes to a wide range of publications. Her previous books include The Jewish Kitchen, Cucina Siciliana, and Oranges: A Global History, the last also published by Reaktion Books. Based in Manchester, she has twice won the Glenfiddich Food Writer of the Year Award.

"Impressively researched and written with a nicely wry view of human behavior, Tomato: A Global History by Hyman is a highly enjoyable read. Every page reveals little known and often surprising facts about this fruit that we now regard as a vegetable. . . . Hyman's fine book could even answer my query about yellow tomatoes."--Geraldene Holt, food writer