Tomatoes

Tomato is an annual plant belonging to the family of Solanaceae. It is also known as the “Emperor of the worldwide vegetable garden” because of its notoriety and spread on a global scale. There are many varieties, each different in shape and texture.

The smallest varieties are:

• Cherry tomato, which has a roundish shape and a sweet taste that makes it adapt for many flavour combinations;
• Piccadilly tomato, which is slightly bigger and characterized by a great consistency, an oval shape and an extraordinary sweetness. that, combined with a postharvest good seal, make this type of tomato remarkable in terms of quality;
• Date tomato, which owes its name to its shape like date, grows concentrated in clusters, developing a sweet flavour which makes it unique.

Instead, the biggest varieties are:

• Oxheart tomato is called in this way due to the atypical shape. It is recognizable by its red tending to violet colouring;
• Round vine tomato is quite present on the Mediterranean dining tables and is known for the texture and resistance to cracking;
• Salad tomato, oblong or round, presents a colouration going from green to red during the maturation (and they are tasty either way!). Usually consumed raw and fresh, or combined with other foods, like salad, for example.

A pinch of salt
The concentration of potassium and the almost total absence of sodium make tomato rich of diuretic and detoxifying qualities, which can be preserved avoiding excessive salty dressing.

Bringer of wellness
The presence of acids, typical of tomato, makes it a great ally of our body, especially for the protection of the digestive system.

In July and August, you can taste all the flavour of tomato. At the Festival of Borgoricco (Padua, Veneto) to Croce (Rieti, Lazio), the tomato becomes the protagonist of succulent summer dishes.