How Did Tomatoes Become An Italian Staple? | Delishtory

When you think of Italian food, you probably think about pizza, bruschetta, or spaghetti. But tomatoes aren't native to Italy. So where do these associations come from? And how these staple Italian dishes come to be?

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Delishtory brings you a tasty exploration into our favorite food obsessions. It's delicious, it's history - it's Delishtory!

Kae Lani Palmisano is an Emmy Award-Winning television host, food and travel writer, recipe developer and home cook who loves to explore the journey that food takes to get to the plate.

Delishtory is a production of WHYY.

[pwp]

fresh, ripe tomatoes dusted with coarse sea salt and ground pepper. That's all. Heavenly

[Ian-nlyd]

Worth noting that basil was also a latecomer to Italy! The plant is native to India, and first began to be grown in Italy in the medeival era. (Likewise, India has the Mediterranean to thank for cumin.)

[katharinewaldmann]

ok, first of all thank you for pronouncing bruschetta the Italian way. second of all I wrote an entire master's thesis to explain exactly the way Italian American food is different than Italian food. and this is the BEST possible way to explain it, thank you, GRAZIE

[pelarinbacosiii]

I think the same interesting questions might be asked of chilis and all of the Asian cultures that prominently include them in their national dishes, including Korean kimchi, and Thai curries. Or even the Irish and the potato.

[DanH-uf]

Yes, the tomato, cocoa, potato, coca and tobacco all originated in the Americas. The Spanish brought it around the world.

[joselembo]

It is interesting to notice that many European culinary traditions would not exist without the contribution of the Americas, namely corn, tomatoes and potatoes.

[lisahillard]

Sliced tomato, fresh off the vine; toasted white bread, a touch of mayo, salt, & pepper. Best. Lunch. Ever.

[myradioon]

You failed to mention that the Southern half of Italy and especially Sicily were PART of the Spanish Empire and ruled by Isabella and Ferdinand in 1492 - the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. That's the main reason Southern Italians eat more tomatoes - not ' poverty'. The Spanish owned southern Italy and brought Tomatoes, Chocolate, Peppers, Guinea Pigs and even Prickly Pear Cactus DIRECTLY to southern Italy and Sicily, from South/Central America, in the "Pan Columbian Exchange", through the 1600's. These products didn't go through Spain first. Modica, Sicily was a Spanish Bourbon city from the 1600's at the Height of Spanish Rule known for chocolate. The Spanish ruled Naples in the 1600's - which is why the first tomato sauce recipe comes from this period. Southern Italy and Sicily were using tomatoes before Tuscany - which was not ruled by the Spanish, but you cite Tuscany first.

[ProjectExMachina]

In Serbia, we called it paradajz and in Croatia it is rajčica. Both are play on "paradise apple" and I think that it is beautiful

[edkeaton]

"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts when eating a homegrown tomato." - Lewis Grizzard. 😋❤️🍅🍅🍅🍅

[jaypay]

Mexico is where all these delicious foods were discovered and spread to all the world . Home of the Chile pepper, tomato, Cacoa, Avocado and Vanilla!! Mexico is influential form in all aspects rich land, food and culture.

[edkeaton]

"The tomato offers its' gift of fiery color and cool completeness." - Pablo Neruda. 😋❤️🍅🍅🍅🍅

[katherinealianoruiz]

i loooove bruschetta - wild to think that fancy folks just had tomatoes as decoration :o

[rhruozo]

Tomato fried egg is a Hong Kong staple food

[mmmbetter]

I'm not Italian or Italian American, but I love all kinds of tomatoes. Caprese is one of my absolute favorite eats 🤌🏻

[TheHealYourHeartCoach]

Proud Italian heritage here where my my maternal grandparents came to America, at different times during their lives to escape the dictatorship regime of Mousseline. I always appreciate history and facts. Thanks so much for this 😊.

[ftmhome]

Squash and vanilla are other plants from the America's that were introduced to Europe and others as a result of colonization.

[richardmiller]

The suspicion of the tomato wasn't entirely unfounded. The acidity could leach lead from pewterware in common use at the time.

[edkeaton]

"You need an entire life just to know about tomatoes." - Ferran Adria. 😋❤️🍅🍅🍅🍅

[kh]

As I stare at my own thriving but stubbornly not fruiting tomato plants, I thank you for allowing me to tell myself that I am simply doing as the well-off people of history did. It's ok that they are determined to be solely ornamentals this year!