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The first record of tomatoes growing in England dates to the 1590s (though Wales has a slightly earlier claim). It isn’t until the 1720s, however, that recipes for their preparation start to appear. The delay has been blamed on fear of foods from outisde Europe, on the humoral theory, on piety and superstition, and probably lots of other factors too. While all those explanations have obvious attractions, the reality is much more prosaic than that.
Dr Serin Quinn tracked the true history of the tomato in England and found that temperature and technology, along with religious persecution, are much more convincing.
Notes
- Serin Quinn’s paper on The Tomato-Chili Nexus: Reconstructing the Mesoamerican Influence on Europe through Taste and Method was my introduction to her work.
- As mentioned, you may also find Rebecca Earle on The true history of the potato in Europe an interesting listen.
- Here is the transcript.
- Cover image lifted from The Gardener’s Chronicle, banner from Hortus Eystettensis, 1640, at Wikimedia
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@etp I went through a period when I was reading some late 19th and early 20th century books scanned to epub formats.
One was a guide on specifically how to build a coal-fired greenhouse and grow tomatoes for the New York market.
It’s pretty interesting, and a piece of the past I did not know.
Bridgy Response
Bridgy Response
Bridgy Response
Bridgy Response
Bridgy Response
Bridgy Response