Tomato History, Culture & Fun Facts

Tomatoes originated in western South America along the Andes and were first domesticated by peoples in Mesoamerica, in what is now Mexico.

A tomato is botanically a fruit because it grows from the flower and carries seeds, but it is treated as a vegetable in cooking and law.

Spanish explorers brought tomatoes to Europe in the early to mid 1500s, and they spread through Italy and Spain over the following century.

Yes. Europeans once feared tomatoes because they belong to the nightshade family and acidic fruit leached lead from pewter plates, causing illness.