Love Tomatoes? Let’s Get You Answer to Age-old Question — Is it a Fruit or Vegetable?

Tomato has been an important part of Indian cuisine for a long time. It is used in almost every home. There are more than 9,000 varieties of tomatoes grown around the world. In India, Mumbai, Nashik, and Jaipuria tomatoes are available. Nowadays, cherry tomatoes have also started hitting the markets.

Today, we have brought some interesting facts about the vegetable.

Is it a fruit or vegetable?

Most of us believe that it is a vegetable. However, that’s not true. Dr Naved Sabir, Principal Scientist of the Center for Protected Agricultural Technology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (Pusa), said that according to botany, a tomato is a fruit.

But it is used more in the cooked form and hence came to be called a vegetable. The Oxford Dictionary has placed tomato in the category of fruit. According to them, a tomato is a soft red fruit, which has a lot of juice and whose skin is bright red. It can be eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable.

Tomatoes help in retaining youth

Tomatoes help us stay young as the humble fruit helps maintain proper digestion, prevents stomach related problems and eliminates stomach worms. According to Ayurvedacharya and Panchakarma specialist Dr R P Parashar, eating tomatoes increases appetite. It keeps the stomach clean and its consumption strengthens the immunity. It does not allow worms to grow in the stomach. A special feature of tomato is that the special elements found in it protect human skin from sunburn and ultraviolet rays. Hence, all these features help in retaining the youth.

Tomatoes originated in Peru

Tomatoes originated in Peru. The cultivation of the fruit started in the fifth century BC. Later, it continued to move through Spain and Mexico. In America, it was called Love Apple. In some countries, the red colour of tomato was considered poisonous, but later it was adopted.

The tomato entered India in the 16th century. Portuguese and Spanish merchants brought it to the country. At that time in India, it was called foreign brinjal. Tomato cultivation and consumption increased throughout the world during the British Empire in India and the Second War.

Why did tomatoes come so late in India?

It is believed that there were various alternatives to tomato in India, bringing flavour to the palate hence it entered late. The alternatives included tamarind, amchur and amla. They are described in the ancient text of Ayurveda Charaka Samhita.

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