Explanation: For almost 200 years, it was commonly believed that the tomato (a plant from the Americas) was poisonous, because it is a member of the Nightshade family. For that reason, it was grown in Italy primarily as an ornamental plant until the late 17th century.
Wow… considering italian cooking is some 80% tomato based!
Similar to the potatoes in Prussia
It’s insane how much tomatoes and potatoes affected traditional food all around the world
Not just those, vanilla and chocolate are both originally from the Americas. Corn has had some influence around the world and peanuts and sunflowers are significant sources of food oils.
I wonder. Did they discover tomato sauce by trying to poison someone and got the wrong “this pasta is to DIE for”?
A lot of the wealthy though they were poisonous due to eating off of pewter plates, the acid leached lead out of them, and clgave them lead poisoning.
The poor started to eat tomatoes as a poverty food
“My dog got into the garden and he didn’t die after eating my entire fucking tomato crop, so they can’t be THAT poisonous” - Some Soon-To-Be Revolutionary Gastronomist, Probably
The TOMATE, not the TOMATE!
