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

Smith traces the fruit’s sojourn in what is now the United States, suggesting that Americans began cultivating, cooking, and consuming tomatoes as early as the seventeenth century. He explains how, in the 1830s, tomatoes became one of America’s first food fads, and he recounts some of the quackery that has surrounded it, including the infamous tomato pill. Smith explains the origin of the term “love apple” and tells of the cookbook authors, horticulturists, and medical professionals who played a crucial role in incorporating the tomato into American cuisine. In addition to recovering the lost history of the tomato, Smith offers more than fifty vintage recipes that, until now, have been buried along with the tomato’s legitimate heritage.