How is your week beginning? Today's ingredient is the humble vegetable, the Tomato. Tomatoes contain all four major carotenoids: alpha- and
beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene which is thought to have the highest antioxidant activity of all the
carotenoids. Tomatoes are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. They contain Vitamin E, C, A, K, B6; Folate, Copper, Magnesium and Phosphorous, Manganese and Potassium. We literally use Tomatoes in most of our foods, especially in Kenya. From making Tomato Soups, frying them up in stews and even making Salads. Tomatoes are always in Season which makes them the simplest ingredient to use and very versatile. You can even enjoy the Tomatoes raw and you will get even more nutrients.Botanically, a Tomato is a fruit, a berry, consisting of the
ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant.
However, the tomato has much lower sugar content than other edible fruits, and is therefore not as sweet. Typically served as part of a salad or main course of a meal, rather than at dessert, it is, in the US, considered a "culinary vegetable". Tomatoes are not the only food source with this ambiguity: bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, eggplants, avocados, and squashes of all kinds (such as zucchini and pumpkins) are all botanically fruits, yet cooked as vegetables. Did you know According to Wikipedia, There are around 7,500 tomato varieties grown for various purposes having been selected with varying fruit types, and for optimum growth in differing growing conditions. Tomato varieties can be divided into categories based on shape and size.
Delicious tomatoes in all their varietyHowever, the tomato has much lower sugar content than other edible fruits, and is therefore not as sweet. Typically served as part of a salad or main course of a meal, rather than at dessert, it is, in the US, considered a "culinary vegetable". Tomatoes are not the only food source with this ambiguity: bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, eggplants, avocados, and squashes of all kinds (such as zucchini and pumpkins) are all botanically fruits, yet cooked as vegetables. Did you know According to Wikipedia, There are around 7,500 tomato varieties grown for various purposes having been selected with varying fruit types, and for optimum growth in differing growing conditions. Tomato varieties can be divided into categories based on shape and size.
photo: www.well-beingsecrets.com
- Beefsteak tomatoes are 10 cm (4 in) or more in diameter, often used for sandwiches and similar applications. Their kidney-bean shape, thinner skin, and shorter shelf life make commercial use impractical.
- Plum tomatoes, or paste tomatoes (including pear tomatoes), are bred with a lower water /higher solids content for use in tomato sauce and paste, for canning and sauces and are usually oblong 7–9 cm (3–4 in) long and 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in) diameter; like the Roma-type tomatoes, important cultivars in the Sacramento Valley.
- Cherry tomatoes are small and round, often sweet tomatoes, about the same 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) size as the wild tomato.
- Grape tomatoes are smaller and oblong, a variation on plum tomatoes.
- Campari tomatoes are sweet and noted for their juiciness, low acidity, and lack of mealiness, bigger than cherry tomatoes, and smaller than plum tomatoes.
- Tomberries, tiny tomatoes, about 5 mm in diameter
- Oxheart tomatoes can range in size up to beefsteaks, and are shaped like large strawberries.
- Pear tomatoes are pear-shaped and can be based upon the San Marzano types for a richer gourmet paste.
- "Slicing" or "globe" tomatoes are the usual tomatoes of commerce, used for a wide variety of processing and fresh eating. The most widely grown commercial tomatoes tend to be in the 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in) diameter range.
photo: www.well-beingsecrets.com
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Tomato Soup photo: www.well-beingsecrets.com
Tomato Juice. photo: www.well-beingsecrets.com
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