Thursday Thirteen #3

Today's Thursday 13 was inspired by this mornings shopping tour. While buying the vegetables for tonights dinner at the grocery sotre I saw them - a pack of wonderfully different colored and shaped small tomatoes. And because I didn't have a better topic for this weeks TT anyway, I decided to post 13 interesting facts about TOMATOES:

1.) First of all a picture of the tomatoes I bought today. They were sold in a box labelled "wild
wonders". It's a variety of cherry tomatoes, aren't they beautiful?

2.) Tomatoes inspired John de Bello to produce his series
"Attack of the Killertomatoes", staring the young George
Clooney in the sequel "Return of the Killertomatoes"

3.) The latin term for tomato is Solanum lycopersicum, meaning "wolf peach". There are at least 10,000 varieties of tomatoes (from the small marble-sized cherry one to the Ponderosa, which can weigh over three pounds).


4.) Tomatoes are fruits from the botanic point of view! As
well as eggplants, cucumbers, pumpkins and zucchinis.
But in the culinary world and in some old laws tomatoes
are seen classified as vegetables.

5.) Since the 1940's, "La Tomatina" takes place on the last
Wednesday of August. Then 20000 - 40000 people meet
in the town of Bunol in Spain to be part of the big tomato
fight.



6.) The worlds biggest tomato weighed 3.5 kg, or 7 lb 12 oz! An average size tomato has 148 gram, or 5 oz, and boasts only 35 calories.

7.) In 2003 Rob Baur succeded in breeding a "Tomacco"-plant, inspired by the "Simpsons" episode "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)". It is a tomato-plant hybrid that also contains small amounts of nicotine. It is possible because they both belong to the nightshades, also including potato and belladonna.

8.) Tomatoes were first cultivated in 700 AD by Aztecs and Incas. Explorers returning from Mexico introduced the tomato into Europe, where it was first mentioned in 1556. The French called it "the apple of love," the Germans "the apple of paradise."

9.) Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C and fibre, and are cholesterol free. The consumption of lycopene - the stuff that makes tomatoes red - may prevent cancer.

10.) The tomato is the most popular fruit of the world, with over 60 million tons produced every year.

11.) Tomato juice is the official state beverage of Ohio. Arkansas' official state vegetable is the vine ripe pink tomato (of South Arkansas).


12.) Until the 1800's tomatoes were thought to be poisonous. Though some claimed that they have aphrodisiac powers.

13.) And last but not least, my favorite tomato recipe - Bruschetta:


That's it folks, hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to comment, cause I follow ;) and I don't mind if you drop a card as well.

Luv Julia