Fresh Tomato Day 2024: The 6th of April is Fresh Tomato Day, a day to celebrate the beauty of fresh tomatoes. Tomatoes are a significant source of umami flavour and are cultivated in both temperate and tropical regions of the world. Typically, they are consumed raw or cooked. Numerous varieties of the tomato plant are typically grown in temperate climates throughout the world, with purpose-built greenhouses assisting in the production of tomatoes throughout the year. Tomato plants are typically three to ten feet tall, with vines and a weak, sprawling stem.
HISTORY OF FRESH TOMATO DAY
The tomato is believed to have descended or evolved from the native to western South America Solanum pimpinellifolium, also known as the currant tomato or wild tomato. These wild tomatoes were typically about the size of peas and were smaller than the tomatoes we have today. The so-called domestication of tomatoes can be traced back to the Aztecs and other Mesoamericans, who consumed the fruit both raw and cooked. The Spanish brought tomatoes to Europe, where they quickly became a staple in Spanish cooking. In northern European countries such as France, Italy, and others, the tomato was initially grown as an ornamental plant, similar to flowers.
Botanists viewed the tomato with scepticism as a food item because they believed it to be a nightshade. This scepticism and suspicion was exacerbated by the tomato juice’s acidity. Tomatoes were referred to as “poison apples” because it was believed that eating them caused aristocrats to become ill and die. The wealthy Europeans of the time may have used lead-rich pewter plates, and because tomatoes are so acidic, the fruit leached lead from the plate when it came into contact with the fruit, causing lead poisoning and death.
At the time, ignorance prevented anyone from connecting the dots between the plate and the poison, so the simplest solution was to blame the tomato. Tomato leaves and immature fruit contain tomatin, which could be toxic in large quantities. However, ripe tomato fruit is devoid of tomatin.
FRESH TOMATO DAY ACTIVITIES
Consume some tomatoes
What better way to observe Fresh Tomato Day than by eating (or drinking) them? Make a tomato sandwich or order tomato pizza; you’ll be fine either way.
Host a party for throwing tomatoes.
Hosting a tomato-throwing party on Fresh Tomato Day is yet another entertaining suggestion. This would be enjoyable, but care should be taken not to waste too many tomatoes.
Share via social networks
You can share all the fun and join the online tomato conversation using the #FreshTomatoDay hashtag. Share the history of the day online!
5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT TOMATOES
There are 10,000 varieties of tomatoes
There are up to 10,000 distinct tomato varieties.
The initial tomatoes were yellow
The first tomatoes were golden in colour and widely regarded as aphrodisiacs, not red as they are today.
Tomatoes come in various hues.
Tomatoes come in a variety of hues, including purple, green, and white; however, for quality control purposes, only red tomatoes are displayed in markets.
The word ‘tomato’ is Spanish.
The word ‘tomato’ is derived from the Spanish word ‘tomate.’
China is the largest producer of tomatoes.
China is the largest producer of tomatoes on the planet.
FRESH TOMATO DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | April 6 | Thursday |
| 2024 | April 6 | Saturday |
| 2025 | April 6 | Sunday |
| 2026 | April 6 | Monday |
| 2027 | April 6 | Tuesday |
