Tomato
A juicy, umami-rich fruit that anchors sauces and salads the world over.
Also known as: Solanum lycopersicum, tomatoes, plum tomato, cherry tomato, roma
Overview
Botanically a fruit but used culinarily as a vegetable, the tomato is one of the most important ingredients in modern cooking. From Italian pasta sauces to Mexican salsas, Indian curries, and Middle Eastern salads, its combination of sweetness, acidity, and savory umami makes it endlessly useful both raw and cooked.
Varieties range widely: meaty plum and Roma tomatoes are best for sauces, juicy beefsteaks shine in sandwiches and salads, and sweet cherry and grape tomatoes are perfect for roasting or eating whole. Canned tomatoes — whole, crushed, or as paste — are a pantry backbone that often outperform out-of-season fresh ones for cooking.
Culinary Uses
- Simmered into sauces, ragùs, soups, shakshuka, and curries.
- Roasted to concentrate sweetness, or slow-dried for intense flavor.
- Sliced raw into salads, sandwiches, and bruschetta, or diced into fresh salsa.
- Reduced into paste and passata to deepen the savory backbone of a dish.
Flavor Profile
- Ripe tomatoes balance sweetness, bright acidity, and glutamate-driven umami.
- Cooking drives off water and concentrates both sweetness and savoriness; tomato paste is the most intense form.
- Underripe or refrigerated tomatoes taste flat and mealy — flavor and texture are best at room temperature.
Storage
- Keep fresh tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sun, and use within a few days; refrigeration mutes flavor and turns the flesh mealy.
- Only refrigerate very ripe tomatoes to buy an extra day, and let them return to room temperature before eating.
- Store canned tomatoes and paste in the pantry; refrigerate leftover paste or freeze it in spoonfuls.
Preparation
- Core the stem end and slice, dice, or wedge as needed.
- To peel, score an X on the base and blanch in boiling water for 15–30 seconds, then shock in ice water and slip off the skins.
- Salt sliced tomatoes lightly and let them drain to firm them up for sandwiches and salads.
Nutrition
Tomatoes are low in calories and high in water, offering fiber and a range of antioxidants.
They are the leading dietary source of lycopene, a carotenoid whose absorption actually increases with cooking and a little fat.
An antioxidant carotenoid; more available from cooked tomatoes with oil.
Supports immunity and iron absorption.
Helps regulate fluid balance and blood pressure.
Contributes to normal blood clotting and bone health.
Dietary Considerations
- Naturally vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
- Acidic and a member of the nightshade family, which some people choose to limit.
- Low in sodium in fresh form; canned products can be high in added salt, so check labels or choose no-salt-added versions.
Nutrition information is educational and approximate; it varies by variety, portion, and preparation, and is not a substitute for professional dietary advice.
Common Pairings
Recipes with Tomato
Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
Tender chicken simmered with onion, ginger, warm spices, and a silky cream finish for a comforting curry with rich flavor.
Quick Ethiopian Chicken Curry Rice Bowls
A fragrant, mildly spiced chicken curry inspired by Ethiopian flavors, finished in under an hour and served over fluffy rice for a satisfying weeknight meal.
Creamy Tomato Chicken Parmesan Skillet
Tender chicken simmered in a rich tomato-alfredo sauce and finished with parmesan for a comforting, restaurant-style skillet meal.
Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
Chicken browned in caramelised sugar then simmered with onion, thyme, scotch bonnet, and allspice into a deep, glossy gravy — a beloved Jamaican Sunday-dinner classic.
Egyptian Hawawshi
Spiced ground beef mixed with onion, pepper, and herbs, stuffed into Egyptian flatbread and baked until crisp, a popular hand-held street food bursting with savoury flavour.
Egyptian Ful Medames
Egypt's national breakfast of slow-simmered fava beans mashed with olive oil, lemon, garlic, and cumin, hearty and protein-rich, traditionally scooped up with warm flatbread.
Bengali Macher Jhol
A light, soupy Bengali fish curry of pan-fried fish simmered in a turmeric-and-cumin broth with potatoes and tomato, delicately spiced and traditionally served with steamed rice.
Jamaican Ackee and Saltfish
Jamaica's national dish of silky ackee sauteed with flaked salt cod, peppers, onion, tomato, and thyme, a savoury, comforting plate traditionally served for breakfast.
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