We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Food

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Why Were 18th-Century Europeans Afraid of Tomatoes?

Updated: May 16, 2024
Share

Most people eat tomatoes regularly, whether sliced fresh in salads or on sandwiches, or as an ingredient in pasta sauce or a pizza topping. They are considered a healthy food choice as they are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and the plant compound lycopene, which has been linked to heart health and even cancer prevention. These days, perhaps the most controversial thing about tomatoes is whether they should be classified as a fruit or a vegetable (more on that later).

But in 18th-century Europe, tomatoes had a fearsome reputation due to misconceptions about their perceived toxicity.

Tomatoes first reached Europe in the 16th century by way of the Spanish conquistadors, who brought back the seeds from Mesoamerica. However, the plants were originally grown ornamentally rather than for food. By the late 1700s, tomatoes had made their way onto the plates of some wealthy Europeans. Unfortunately, they were linked to the deaths of aristocrats who had eaten them on pewter plates with a high lead content. Due to their acidity, the tomatoes had absorbed lead and were blamed for the deaths.

The Italian herbalist Pietro Andrae Matthioli contributed to fears of this harmless fruit due to his classification of the tomato in the deadly nightshade family and as an aphrodisiac (it was widely known as the “love apple.”) And John Gerard’s Herball (1597) erroneously wrote that the entire plant was toxic, while in reality the fruit is safe to eat, though the leaves and stems contain some toxicity.

However, by the middle of the 19th century, the tomato had become a popular crop, with numerous varieties cultivated in the United States and Europe (though panic over the harmless tomato worm threatened to derail that popularity during the 1830s). The use of tomatoes in Italian cooking, especially pizza from Naples (invented around 1880), cemented the status of the tomato as an essential ingredient. It was made even more indispensable with the introduction of Campbell’s tomato soup in 1897.

The twisted tale of tomatoes:

  • The word tomato is based on the Nahuatl word tomatl. They were cultivated by the Aztecs as early as 700 AD.

  • Tomatoes were known in the British colonies in North America in the early 18th century, as evidenced by an entry in William Salmon’s Botanologia, published in 1710. But they weren’t widely considered food until at least a century later.

  • Today, the average American eats around 20 lbs of fresh tomatoes per year (and at least that amount of canned tomatoes).

  • In the botanical sense, tomatoes are fruits, while in the culinary and nutritional sense, tomatoes are vegetables. For the record, many other botanical fruits are considered culinary vegetables, such as avocado, cucumber, eggplant, pumpkin, and zucchini.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.com/why-were-18th-century-europeans-afraid-of-tomatoes.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.