The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-20
THE WONDERFUL TOMATO.

more useful vegetable than the tomato. In
a retrospect of all horticulture, too, no
other fruit on the catalogues has had a
more curious battle for recognition. The
tomato, truly, has been a social strug-
gler'' OF the most strenuous type. but hav-
ing arrived ii now ranked. once and
forever, matchless and marvellous. Three
quarters of a century ago it was scorned
and detested of man and open to much
more suspicion than the dangerous mush-
room at the present day. The tomato be-
longs to the botanical family of night
shades and has many wel-known kinsmen,
floral and vegetable-such as the potato,
eggplant, red pepper, horse-nettle, the
matrimony vine, the petunia, bitter-sweet,
the Jerusalem cherry, the ground cherry,
the apple of Peru, henbane, belladonna,
the jamestown weed and tobacco. Among
the Greeks the tomato was called the
wolf peach,' for unknown reasons, and 1t
came down TO later days under the odd
name of 1.-The love apple" The ancient
tomato was also called the apple of gold,
and the Ethiopian apple. Apples of love, "
wrote John Gerarde, of London, in 1897,
grow in Spain, Italy and such hot coun-
tries. In Spain they used TO eat the apples
prepared and boiled with pepper. salt and
ollie. Likewise they doe cate the apples
with ollie, vinegar and pepper mixed to-
gether for sauce to their meate." Gerarde
also said of the ''tumatle"-as the Next
cans called it-that it was "a fair and good
lie apple, of a bright shining red. the big
nesse of a gooseegg or a large, shining
pppin." but it was "of a rank SAVIOUR and
vic RI
bodie" Before the tomato was accepted
as edible, it came into medical favor and,
for time. in earlier years, an old chronicle
states. every variety OF pill and panacea
was called Extract of Tomato
England slowly came to apprecia-
ton of the tomato, as one notice in an old
book of 5000 domestic recipes remains TO
testify. From Maine to Texas, in United
States market reports fifty years ago, the
tomato had no mention. although it was
in all home gardens by 1919, and grown
under glass in Massachusetts. Sixty years
ago, in Pennsylvania. tomatoes were grown
only as food for pigs. and were called ''pig
apples" Men of that State rebuked their
DANES for decorating the mantel-shelves
with red, shining rows of pig apples, but ii
was done, nevertheless, and on each side
of the door-yard path stood a big stone jar
on low post, containing one tomato plant,
whose ornamental red fruit, then no larger
late as 1860 the tomato received small ma
tional attention, although in the late 40s
it was slowly granted it's due prominence
and honor. Now ii is ranked "as valuable
as cabbage and is cultivated the length
and breadth of the land. All the year
round the wonderful tomato is the
American table and in an infinite variety
of dishes toothsome and beautiful.
AS singular as the garden chronicle Of the
tomato, naturally, has been It's gastronomic
career. In an old English cookbook of
1SO0-when herbs were grown in pots and
"stortion-buds'' were recommended as
good to pickle'-a bit of roots for the
table," ranging from carrots to gar
lick" made reference to the tomato.
The tomato-spelled tomato in 1879
seems first to have been cooked, the people
fearing it as raw edible. Early Eng
lish "tomatas catsup'' is thus vaguely
given: 'Cut up the tomatas, and between
the every layer, sprinkle salt. Let them
stand a few hours before you boil them,
which do very well; then strain them
through a cullender on some garlick, mus
tard seed, beaten ginger, pepper and mace.
Cover close a few days. Bottle for use. u
Equally curious another formula: boil
tomatas full ripe in their juice, to pulp.
salt. Aromatic sufficiently with Glove, pep
per and nutmeg" DR.. Johnson's dictionary
gives "catsup and catchup, but he knew
$l~o
homemade British cheer. Botargo catsup
and cavier,'' wrote Dean Swift, but he was
not aware of tomato catsup.
Tomato sauce, which so imperiled our
beloved Mr.. Pickwick is thus given in
British cookery oracles of 1927 Love APP
pie sauce, according to Ude: Melt In a
stew-pan a dozen or two of love apples
cut in two, to get all the water and the
seeds out. Then put in. two eschallots, one
onion, with few bits of ham, a Glove, a
little thyme, bay leaf, few bits of mace
and when melted. rub them through a
tamis. Mix few spoonsful of good Es-
pagnole and a little salt and pepper with
this PURGE. Boil twenty minutes and serve
up" Mock tomato sauce was a queer
British. concoction of apple pulp colored
with turmeric and made acid by vinegar.
eff you love good catchup. gentle reader, ("
said DR.. Kitchener, make it yourself -
Pudding catchup," in old England, was
made of sherry, sugar and lemon peel
Early British cook-books made no refer
ence TO the tomato as vegetable; and now
the Isle of Guernsey grows under glass, in
the three spring months, eight tons of to-
matoes for the London market Tomatoes
are now everywhere of the three most
profitable dollhouse products, the others
being cucumbers and lettuce.
The good old town Of Philadelphia, in 1897
was wide awake on the tomato question
and the early cook-books give tomato-soy
tomato-pickle, tomato catsup. baked and
stewed tomatoes. Stewed tomatoes were
seasoned with "chyan pepper" minced
soups" included "eight tomatoes, cut I'D
and tomato sauce consisted of "a dozen
tomatoes and a few cloves, boiled to a
pulp" New England cooks, in 1s45. cooked
tomatoes zone hour on the Goals or In a
brick oven, IL a dish TO be put on the
table" Yankees, too. early discovered the
tomato as a salad TO be served as cucum-
bers. Take fair fruit. the kind called love
apples; remove the skins and slice. Sprinkle
with salt. pour vinegar over them and put
on pepper Tomato sauce to keep until