TOMATO CATCH- UP
We put these tasty treats in the spotlight as they come into season
Despite a homegrown wealth of tomatoes, a shocking 75 per cent of all these veg bought in the UK are actually cultivated abroad, which doesn’t make sense when you realise that a British tomato can go from field to shelf in just three days. On top of that, these delicious morsels are one of the most versatile veg available – or are they?
THE BURNING QUESTION: FRUIT OR VEG?
Often thought of as a vegetable, tomatoes are actually a fruit, a topic that has come under remarkable scrutiny, even making its way to the US Supreme Court in 1887, in a case known as Nix v Hedden. The real issues were trade and commercial interests. If tomatoes were deemed to be vegetables, they could be taxed when imported, under the Tariff Act of 1883, thus providing protection for American tomato growers. The court’s botanical knowledge was sound. Tomatoes are specialised reproductive structures that contain seeds, in other words, they are fruits. It chose pragmatism over botanical truth, however, and ruled in favour of American farmers.