The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture, and Cookery - Hardcover

Smith, Andrew F.

3.62

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9781570030000: The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture, and Cookery

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1570030006 ISBN 13: 9781570030000

Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Pr, 1994

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"Serious scholarly study traces biological origins of the tomato and evolution of human attitude toward its use from preconquest western South America, the Central America isthmus, and Mexico to 16th-century Europe. Then follows path of the tomato back across the Atlantic to 19th-century US. Also identifies another possible route for the tomato from the Caribbean to southeastern US. Drawn from scientific, medical, and historical works as well as traditional cookbooks"--Handbook of Latin American Studies,v. 58.

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From the Back Cover:

Smith traces the fruit's sojourn in what is now the United States, suggesting that Americans began cultivating, cooking, and consuming tomatoes as early as the seventeenth century. He explains how, in the 1830s, tomatoes became one of America's first food fads, and he recounts some of the quackery that has surrounded it, including the infamous tomato pill. Smith explains the origin of the term "love apple" and tells of the cookbook authors, horticulturists, and medical professionals who played a crucial role in incorporating the tomato into American cuisine. In addition to recovering the lost history of the tomato, Smith offers more than fifty vintage recipes that, until now, have been buried along with the tomato's legitimate heritage.

From Library Journal:

Did you think that tomatoes were not in this country before the 1880s? And did you think that this was because they were considered to be poisonous or aphrodisiacal? Since 1987, writer and lecturer Smith has been researching references to tomatoes. After examining 50,000 sources, which he says does not by any means exhaust the material, Smith traces the history of this most popular fruit/vegetable-one that is now grown by more home gardeners in this country than any other food. The evidence he presents, drawn from newspapers, letters, diaries, and cookbooks, refutes the popular myths and supports his thesis that the tomato was cultivated for culinary and medicinal uses from early Colonial times and was introduced to the American colonies on numerous separate occasions. Smith also includes a selection of recipes from early cookbooks and magazines. Chapters are supported by extensive references. The book concludes with a classified bibliography and a list of heirloom seed sources and tomato organizations. While lacking the narrative appeal and readability of other books about individual plants, this is a thorough and useful reference, making available masses of material not otherwise available. (Index not seen.)-Carol Cubberley, Univ. of Southern Mississippi
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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