For a 16th-century English nobleman, eating tomatoes was equivalent to a death sentence. This was because the acidity of tomatoes leached poisonous lead from the pewter plates used at the time. However, the noblemen mistakenly blamed the tomato. As a result, the red fruit was considered a “poison apple” in Europe for centuries. It was only the common folk – who ate from wooden plates – who discovered that the tomato was edible, later making it a global superstar. The history of the tomato – and the notion that it was poisonous – reveals one of humanity's greatest misconceptions.
The tomato originated from the Andean regions of present-day Peru, Ecuador, and northern Chile. Precursors to the tomato were cultivated by indigenous peoples of Central and South America more than 2,000 years ago. The Aztecs in Mexico, in particular, were enthusiastic tomato lovers. The word „tomato“ even derives from the Aztec word „tomatl.“.
After the conquest of the Aztec Empire by the Spanish, sailors brought the plant to Europe in the 16th century. The first tomatoes likely reached Spain around the year 1540. From there, they slowly spread to Italy, France, and other parts of the continent.
Tomatoes were initially only used as ornamental plants.
However, Europeans were skeptical. Many were already uneasy about the plant's appearance: In the 16th century, tomatoes were predominantly yellow and about cherry-sized. Furthermore, the tomato belonged to the nightshade family – and this family had a bad reputation. It also includes highly poisonous plants like deadly nightshade, datura, and henbane.
Botanist recognized the kinship immediately. Many people therefore assumed that the tomato must also be dangerous. In fact, tomatoes contain small amounts of Solanine and Tomatine, two substances that can be toxic in higher concentrations. Unripe green tomatoes, in particular, contain more of them than ripe fruits. However, the amounts in today's red tomatoes are so small that they are usually harmless to healthy people.
History of the Tomato: In the 16th century, they were considered poisonous in Europe.
In many regions of Europe, tomatoes were not eaten at all in the 16th century. Instead, they were used as ornamental plants. Their bright fruits were considered exotic and decorative, but not necessarily edible.
Especially in England, the tomato gained a reputation as „Poison Apple“, thus as a poisoned apple. Reports of people who became severely ill or died after eating tomatoes seemed to confirm the fears. For many Europeans, it was clear: the new plant from the New World was dangerous.
It wasn't the tomato that was poisonous, but the plates of the rich.
The truly curious thing about the story is that the supposed evidence against the tomato often actually existed. Above all, wealthy people became ill after eating tomatoes. Some even died.
However, the reason was not in the fruit itself. Wealthy families often ate from pewter plates, which contained a high lead content at the time. The acidity of the tomato could leach lead from these plates. Those who regularly consumed such meals slowly poisoned themselves with the heavy metal. The symptoms were mistakenly attributed to the tomato.
While empires fell ill from the tomato, the poor had a different experience.
The poorer segments of the population By contrast, they mostly used wooden bowls, ceramics, or simpler vessels without significant lead content. There, the tomato acid could not dissolve a poisonous metal.
Consequently, a remarkable situation arose over a long period: while many members of the upper class considered the tomato dangerous, people from humble backgrounds had entirely different experiences. In parts of Italy and Spain, the fruit was increasingly eaten without large numbers of people dying. In fact, two completely different images of the tomato coexisted for a time.
The oldest known tomato sauce recipe
Especially in Southern Italy, the tomato gained popularity earlier than in many other regions of Europe. The first recipes appeared as early as the 17th century. earliest known tomato sauce recipe dates from 1694 by the Neapolitan chef Antonio Latini.
Throughout the 18th century, the tomato slowly developed into a staple of Italian cuisine. Cooks experimented with tomato sauces, and more and more people recognized that the fruit was not only harmless but also versatile in taste. This marked the beginning of a slow image transformation.
In the 19th century, science disproves earlier errors about the tomato.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, scientists made great advances in chemistry and medicine, disproving many old prejudices. They were able to determine that lead poisoning was the cause of many illnesses that had been mistakenly attributed to the tomato. The false story that the tomato was poisonous was thus definitively debunked. Furthermore, the tomato was already part of the diet in many parts of Europe by this time.
Southern Europe finally turns the tomato into a global superstar
In the 19th century, the tomato was already firmly established in large parts of Southern Europe. From there, it conquered the rest of the continent and later the whole world. The development of modern varieties made the fruits larger, redder, and sweeter than their early ancestors.
Today, hundreds of millions of tons of tomatoes are produced annually. Hardly any food has had a comparable journey: from a suspicious exotic to a supposed poison apple to an indispensable ingredient in global cuisine. The fear of the tomato is thus one of history's most fascinating errors. And it shows how easily people sometimes confuse cause and effect.
