Tomato: A well-traveled orb

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Ah, the poor tomato. Though long eaten by pre-Columbian Peruvians, it was greeted by fear and suspicion upon its arrival in the Old World.

Recognizing it as a relation of nightshade, belladonna and black henbane, botanists of the time thought it poisonous, writes Waverley Root in "Food." Maybe that was because someone unknowingly ate the leaves, Root speculates, which, along with the stems, are definitely toxic. Or maybe the fruit was too unlike any fruit of the time.

The tomato's origin has been traced to the lower Andes, an area that is now parts of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, wrote Root, but the Peruvians ate them from wild bushes instead of cultivating them.

The tomato traveled to Mexico, where it was domesticated by the Aztecs, wrote Alan Davidson in "The Oxford Companion to Food," but not yet to the Caribbean. So how it jumped to the Old World is unclear. Neapolitans claim that their sailors brought it back, but Root dismissed this as unlikely. More likely, the Spaniards introduced it since they had contact with Mexico.

The Spanish took the tomato to their kingdom of Naples, which came under their control in 1522, Root wrote. Italians sparked the culinary transformation leading to the tomato's position at the pinnacle of Italian cookery.

Its worldwide march continued into Asia by 1658 and Malaysia by 1755. The tomato's appearance in Africa "offers the greatest mystery," in that it was found growing in the interior of the continent in 1860, but no one knows how it got there, according to Root. If it arrived with slave traders, it should have appeared first on the coast, he wrote. What's more, the local people didn't know it was edible and were surprised to see a European eat one. Now the tomato is one of the most important crops there.

The French were slow to bring the tomato to the table, according to Davidson. Not until the late 1700s did recipes begin to appear in books of the day. In England, tomatoes were cultivated by the 1500s, but grown mostly as ornamentals. Not until the mid-1700s were the English actually eating them. And even then, the tomato "remained an object of suspicion" there until the late 19th Century, Davidson wrote.

Having made its way to North America, it again was kept at bay. It wasn't until the early 1900s that the tomato, backed by government boosterism to convince Americans to eat more fresh produce, began to grow into the popular food it is today.

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SPAGHETTINI WITH BURST CHERRY TOMATOES

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

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This dish, from "Olives & Oranges," by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox, is a great way to enjoy the last of the season's cherry tomatoes. Although the combination of tomatoes, basil and garlic is classic, it is the method that draws out the flavor into something surprising. "As the tomatoes lightly brown in olive oil in a hot skillet, their skins burst and their juices caramelize, giving this quick sauce a depth that one usually encounters only in slower-cooked versions," the authors write.

Ľ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 pints mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes, currant tomatoes and grape tomatoes

˝ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 pound spaghettini or spaghetti

1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

1 ˝ cups freshly grated Parmesan

Freshly ground pepper

1. Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking; add half of the tomatoes and the salt. Cook, tossing occasionally, until tomatoes start to blister and collapse, about 3 minutes. Add remaining tomatoes; cook, tossing once, 2 minutes.

2. Push tomatoes to one side of pan; add garlic. Cook until fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Stir garlic and tomatoes together gently; cook, stirring occasionally and gently pressing tomatoes to release juices, until all tomatoes have collapsed and sauce is juicy and thick, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Add pasta to boiling water; cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, gently reheat sauce. Drain pasta; place in serving bowl. Add sauce and basil; toss. Add ľ cup of the cheese; toss. Add remaining ľ cup cheese; toss. Season with pepper.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 716 calories, 32 percent of calories from fat, 25 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 26 mg cholesterol, 93 g carbohydrates, 29 g protein, 760 mg sodium, 7 g fiber

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