The History Of

Tomatoes

: How It Came To India And Its Most Popular Dishes

Quick Summary

Tomatoes, thanks to their nutritional content, are labelled a vegetable, despite being a fruit. A staple in Indian cuisine, it’s unimaginable to cook almost any dish without tomatoes. But did you know that tomatoes are not native to India and used to grow in the wild? Once they were found, they turned into a science experiment, eventually paving the way for the whopping 10,000-plus varieties that exist today. Read on for some tomato facts and history. 

Deep Dive

Tomatoes arrived in India through the ships and hands of colonisers. But long before that, they grew unbothered, moisturised and in their own lane somewhere in Mesoamerica. They were growing along the Andes mountains, where Peru and Ecuador are located, and Bolivia and Chile also had a similar plant growing in their regions. The wild tomatoes, called pimps, were even smaller than the cherry tomatoes of today and were somewhat sour, coming in yellow or yellow hues. The ‘pimps’ still exist today, although they are on the endangered list of species thanks to modern farming methods. 

Andes to Indigenous People to Spanish Crusaders 

The indigenous people in the Andes were cultivating these ‘pimps’. To be specific, tomatoes were first cultivated by the Inca and later spread north through the Mayan regions of Central America to the Aztec civilisation of Mexico. The Aztecs farmed tomatoes on a large scale and selectively bred them to be larger and sweeter than their wild counterparts, producing fruits similar to modern cherry tomatoes. The word ‘tomato’ comes from the Aztec term xitomatl. 

From the Andes, the tomatoes made it to Central America and Mexico. It was called ‘tomatl’, meaning plump fruit. This is what the Spanish witnessed when they reached their shores in the 16th century. They were spooked by it and called them ‘poison apples’, for tomatoes bore a resemblance to the poisonous mandrake and nightshade (tomato is in the same family) plant. Adding more fuel to the fire, the acid in tomatoes reacted badly with the pewter plates (containing lead) used by the colonisers and caused a deadly mix. 

Following a similar logic, the French, being obsessed with the idea of everything romantic, dubbed it an aphrodisiac, calling it ‘pomme d’amour’, or love apples. While an idea back then, research did confirm this, since tomatoes tend to increase blood flow in the body. As for the Spanish colonisers, along with most of Europe, it took them until the 18th century to truly embrace the ‘tomate’, as they called it, as something edible. That’s when the tomatoes reached North America. 

The Long Road to India

This native fruit of South America entered the Indian subcontinent in the 1600s through Portuguese explorers. The Portuguese, who had established trading posts in Goa and other coastal regions, brought tomato seeds along with other New World crops like chillies, potatoes, and cashews. However, the tomato's acceptance in India was far from immediate. Just like how the Spanish instantly started hating on the fruit out of fear, with the Indians, it was more of a mistrust. 

With the British came the first commercial cultivation of tomatoes, under the colonial administrator George Watts. He noticed that tomatoes were mostly grown for the use of Europeans, not Indians. The British, who had overcome their own suspicions about the nightshade family, passed on tomato-based recipes to their native cooks through Anglo-Indian cookbooks of the 19th century. And thus, tomatoes appeared in the local culinary lexicon.

A Slow Acceptance

Even as late as 1938, doctors in India were still trying to convince people to include tomatoes in their diets. The fruit's nutritional benefits, particularly its vitamin C content, were being advocated by medical professionals like Dr Tara Chitale, but traditional Indian cuisine had managed perfectly well without tomatoes for millennia.

The transformation really began in the 20th century. Some food historians suggest that tomatoes first caught on in Bengal and the East. Cooks from the East travelled all over India, adding tomatoes to existing recipes. The sourness of tomatoes appealed to Indian palates accustomed to tamarind and other souring agents. Gradually, this foreign vegetable began finding its way into Indian kitchens, not as the star ingredient but as a flavour enhancer and souring agent.

The Dishes That Were Developed

Once tomatoes gained acceptance, they sparked different dishes from the Northern butter chicken to the southern sambar. Slowly, iconic dishes emerged that would become synonymous with Indian cuisine:

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

The rich dish has contested claims of its origin, but it was said to have been developed in Delhi in the 1950s at the Moti Mahal restaurant in Daryaganj. Two refugees from Peshawar, Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi, who went on to become famed chefs, created butter chicken by mixing leftover tandoori chicken in a tomato sauce with butter and cream, and there was no looking back. 

Tomato-Based Curries and Sabzis

Tomatoes became the foundation for countless everyday dishes. Aloo tamatar (potato and tomato curry), bhindi masala (okra with tomatoes), and various dal-based dishes like tomato pappu, dal makhani and more, all incorporated tomatoes as a key ingredient. Speaking of condiments, many local cultures like making sweet or spicy chutneys out of tomatoes, too. 

Punjabi Restaurant Cuisine

The rise of Punjabi restaurant cuisine in Delhi during the 1950s further cemented tomatoes' place in Indian cooking. Dishes that traditionally contained no tomatoes, like black dal and mutton curries, were adapted to include them, creating richer, more complex flavours.

Tomato Triumph Over All

Today, India is the second-largest producer of tomatoes, with Andhra Pradesh leading in production. From its arrival through Portuguese ships to becoming an agricultural powerhouse, the tomato has thoroughly embedded itself in Indian life. India currently produces over 7,500 varieties of tomatoes, adapted to different local climates.

While still rooted in the country, there’s still a subtle rejection of this non-indigenous vegetable from certain places, practices, and cuisines. Many old temples refuse to add tomatoes to prasad, sticking to ancient recipes. Traditional Muslim cooking, particularly Awadhi cuisine, rarely uses tomatoes in biryanis and kormas, preferring other souring agents or omitting them entirely.

A Ripe Ending to a Seedy Beginning

From the sun-drenched slopes of the Andes to the bustling local markets, the tomato's journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. What started as a small, sour berry that the Incas munched on has ‘ketchup’-ed to become one of India's most essential ingredients. One might say this New World immigrant really “roma'd” its way into the hearts and kitchens of most Indians.