Today we are going to talk about the much-loved tomato. One of its scientific names is “Licopersicum esculentum”, a name that recalls the term “lycopene”, that is to say the substance contained in abundance in this vegetable which also has known antioxidant properties. The tomato is native to the American continent, it is even said that it arrived in Europe immediately after the discovery of America and took on a yellow color. The tomato is nevertheless widely spread today as a vegetable crop throughout the Italian territory; the stem and the leaves are pubescent and covered with short glandular hairs which, when wrinkled, give off a very characteristic smell.
The stem of the tomato in some types has indeterminate development if it grows continuously in height but determinate if the growth in height stops immediately after the formation of a certain number of inflorescences. The flowers have a straw yellow color and initially develop on the higher floors; these fruits are berries of quite variable shape and size, flattened and elongated, smooth or ribbed and inside each berry, divided into loggias, are many small, rough, flattened seeds. To raise these types of indeterminate tomatoes (which are actually most of those grown in small gardens), any side shoots (called female) that develop at the base of the leaves must be removed.
Otherwise, an excessive number of inflorescences will form, and the plants will bear fruits of small size and very poor quality. In some types of vigorous, small-fruited varieties, such as cherry, two or three may be crossed instead of a single stem. Conversely, with regard to, on the contrary, specific varieties of tomatoes, topping and peeling are not carried out, and tomatoes must be equipped with effective supports that are quite high, even more than 2 m or 2.5 m, and fertilize for a good part of the entire production cycle.
Among the most cultivated tomato varieties we have:
-La Cuore di bue of a pinkish green color with the shape resembling that of a drop; ideal for salads.
-The San Marzano which is mainly used for preserves and for the preparation of sauces.
-Pachino IGP, a very sweet tomato with a firm pulp and very smooth skin; ideal for seasoning cold pasta and for cooking fish en papillote.
-The Datterino: very small and round, used to accompany aperitifs;
-The Costoluto fiorentino: medium to large in size, characterized by a tasty and very fleshy pulp.
The article Never eat this brand of tomato: “caution” comes from TuttoAbruzzo.it.
