The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture, and Cookery

by Andrew F. Smith

"Serious scholarly study traces biological origins of the tomato and evolution of human attitude toward its use from preconquest western South America, the Central America isthmus, and Mexico to 16th-century Europe. Then follows path of the tomato back across the Atlantic to 19th-century US. Also identifies another possible route for the tomato from the Caribbean to southeastern US. Drawn from scientific, medical, and historical works as well as traditional cookbooks"--Handbook of Latin American Studies,v. 58.

Genres: History, Food, Nonfiction, Microhistory, Cookbooks

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1994

About the author

Andrew Francis Smith teaches food studies at the New School University in Manhattan. He has written more than three hundred articles in academic journals and popular magazines and has authored or edited seventeen books, including The Oxford Encyclopedia on Food and Drink in America, a James Beard finalist in 2005. He has been frequently appeared on several television series, including the History Channel's American Eats, and the Food Network's Heavy Weights.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this book 5 stars (engaging, informative, well cited and annotated), except that it gives no thought or credence to the idea that the tomato could have spread to the American south, southwest, and Mississippi valley by virtue of Indian trade, rather than by Spanish colonization. I find it easier to believe the Aztecs introduced the tomato to the Texas/New Mexico/Louisiana area centuries ago than the Spanish came, conquered, took the tomato back to Spain, then re-imported it to the Americas.
Other than ignoring the native/indigenous people, a good read.

[Bernard Lavallée · Rating 4 out of 5]

To my knowledge, this remains one of the most comprehensive books on the history of the tomato in America. The author did an excellent job gathering early references to the fruit across a wide range of sources (seed catalogues, newspapers, cookbooks, books, agricultural journals, and more). That said, the sheer volume of information can at times make the text feel a bit dense. Another drawback is that the book was originally published over 30 years ago, so some of the content is now outdated. Still, it’s an excellent starting point for anyone interested in researching the topic.

[Josh Fogelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Highly detailed and researched book on the tomato in America. Really only worth reading as an academic book for research. Focus on sociology of American society, not tomato breeding or genetics.