The Poisonous History of Tomatoes | Pomodori Farciti all’Erbette (1773)

From their start in the New World, to "poisoning" Europe's elite, embraced by Italians and squashed by the US Supreme Court, the story of Tomatoes is filled with twists and turns. Today, I show you how to make one of Italy's oldest recipes for Stuffed Tomatoes with Herbs while we explore this fruit's... vegetable's... ingredient's sordid past.

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POMODORI FARCINI ALL'ERBETTE (Tomatoes Stuffed with Herbs)
ORIGINAL RECIPE (From Il Cuoco Galante: translated by Francesco Vitellini)
Mince parsley, onion, sorrel and mint, add ham, season with salt and pepper; add egg yolk and grated provatura; stuff the mixture into the tomatoes, fry them and serve with ham broth.

MODERN RECIPE
INGREDIENTS (Amounts will vary depending on size and quantity of tomatoes)
- Fresh ripe tomatoes (medium size)
- Italian Parsley
- Onion
- Sorrel (or another sour/bitter green such as arugula or chard)
- Mint
- Prosciutto
- Egg Yolks (about 1 for every 2 tomatoes)
- Provatura (or fresh mozzarella)
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil for frying

METHOD
1. Mince the herbs and onion and mix together in a medium bowl.
2. Tear the prosciutto into small pieces, then mix into the herbs and add salt and pepper to taste. Grate the Provatura into the mixture and finally add the egg yolks. Mix together until you form a paste.
3. Slice off the tops of the tomatoes and scoop out the inside with a spoon. Then stuff the tomatoes with the herb mixture until full.
4. Add olive oil to a frying pan and set over medium heat. Fry the tomatoes, first on the bottom for 2-3 minutes, then flip them over and fry the tops for 2-3 minutes. If you wish for the egg to be fully cooked, place frying pan into an oven set at 350°F/175°C for 10-12 minutes or until the center of the filling registers 165°F/74C. If you wish, add additional cheese to the tops of the tomatoes before placing them in the oven.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and plate the tomatoes garnishing with herbs.

PHOTO CREDITS
Vincenzo Corrado (book author); luigi erario (Luigi Erario: photographer) / Public domain

MUSIC CREDITS

#tastinghistory #tomatoes #italianfood

[TastingHistory]

EDIT: It has been pointed out that while I'm discussing wild tomatoes in the Andes, the photo shown is actually of Tamarillos, which is a completely different fruit. Apologies for that.

[aleksandrakozlova]

I work at a nursing home and every week I do a cooking demonstration for my residents. I made this dish for them and not only that it was delicious I gave them a little history lesson with it. I had staff stopping by just to watch me cook and listen. Your video brought a lot of joy to multiple people that day ❤️ Thank you

[sarahv]

"Edible Wolf Peach" sounds like a euphemism for lady bits in a really campy vampire romance novel

[loxydoe]

it continually blows my mind how many iconic ingredients of certain cuisines aren't even native to the regions the cuisine is from. Really helps you appreciate how human civilisation is founded on trade.

[nyxalbayda]

As a relatively recent subscriber, I’m still not used to seeing Max without his mustache and beard when I watch his older vids QwQ
Max is looking great either way!

[Hermitstatus]

The "wolf peach" is the most metal name for a fruit.

[leviswranglers]

This channel is one of the best things to come from the quarantine.

[paulwagner]

There was an Archie cartoon (yes, Archie was once a Saturday morning cartoon) that was "historical", set in the 1800s or 1700s in which the tomato was discussed. Archie was eating a tomato like an apple, and his friends were shocked because "everyone" knew tomatoes were poisonous.

[tatiannazutania]

I love stuffed tomatoes, raw tomatoes, tomato jam, and almost any other way you can prepare them. When I make my stuffed tomatoes, I put the insides of the tomatoes in my stuffing mixture. It adds a bit more moisture, and tomato flavor. You have one of the best channels.

[Manimal]

It’s pretty amazing that one person can put together a show so well thought out, while TV fails so miserably 90% of the time. Someone pay this man for 30 minute episodes already.

[telkins]

Note to self: don't put a bloody mary in my pewter goblets.

[harleyqueen]

Just in case it wasn't mentioned already. Sorrel is not bitter. It is, instead, rather tart, depending on where and when it is collected - might even be overwhelmingly so. So if you want to swing somewhat closer to the original, but still can't find sorrel itself, i would suggest substituting it with a mix of spinach(for texture and basic taste) and lemongrass(for freshness and tartness). Might work better, or at least pleasantly differently :)

[subtropical]

I died when you mentioned the tomato Supreme Court case we learned that in law school!!!

[lexym]

"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."
This is true.
_However._
Cleverness is knowing that a fruit salad with tomato is called _salsa._

[MyCookieRomance]

Makes sense to compare them to nightshade, because they are literally related to it! Love your stuff, Max.

[mnljh]

Talking food history while listening to Vivaldi, sounds like a good way to pass the afternoon

[IPostSwords]

I like how almost every episode finds a good excuse to pour yourself a glass of wine. That's an energy I can get behind.

[rollingthunder]

"Voila!" is French for "here", in the sense of "here it is!". The Italian equivalent would be "Ecco!"

[dreadsparkdesigns]

Great video as always Max, I'd just like to touch on one thing you mentioned about Sorrel - Wood Sorrel is actually very common in the United states, so much so that it grows wild in almost every state. When I go out fishing I'll often pick some wild sorrel while I'm out to add as a garnish with some sauteed butter in a pan, it's similar in flavor to lemon but much, much less sour.

[kerrypitt]

Tomatoes really vary in taste. The flavor difference seems to be tied to the acidity of the soil and in some cases, the fertilizer used.
I worked on a hydroponic tomato farm years ago and the liquid fertilizer we mixed had sulfuric acid in the recipe and the flavor of those tomatoes was so much better than any other store bought tomato I had tried. The soil in our gardens may provide more acidity than most greenhouse tomatoes, the flavor will always tell the story.