Tomatoes: A Love Story
Gastropod19 Elo 2025

Tomatoes: A Love Story

The tomato is Gastropod’s favorite flavor of summer, and we’re not alone: today, it’s the most popular vegetable on the planet, despite the fact that it's technically a fruit. But, until a couple of hundred years ago, the tomato wasn't really anyone's favorite. In South America, where the tomato originates, no one even bothered to domesticate it; in Mexico, the Aztecs seem to have preferred tomatillos; Renaissance Europeans thought this member of the nightshade family was practically poisonous; and, until the 1830s, most Americans considered them an “acquired taste.” Even in Italy, where the culinary mainstays of pizza and pasta now depend on red sauce, it took centuries to catch on. So why was the tomato so unloved—and how did it end up converting the haters on its rise to glory? Listen in this episode for the story of how Italian block parties, snake oil pills, and the state of Florida played in a role in the tomato’s journey to global domination—as well as the epic tale of one man’s quest to make the industrial tomato taste great again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(297)

Fibermaxxing FTW: Meet the Neglected Nutrient That's the Key to Health

Fibermaxxing FTW: Meet the Neglected Nutrient That's the Key to Health

Move over protein, it's time to fibermaxx! Fiber has always been the neglected stepchild of nutrients: it's never been seen as essential, and some of its earliest enthusiasts were poop-obsessed oddbal...

6 Loka 51min

Eat Bison to Save Bison

Eat Bison to Save Bison

For tens of thousands of years, North America was bison country. Millions of these giant, shaggy animals—also known as buffalo—roamed from the far north to the Gulf and from the east coast to the west...

22 Syys 48min

Plant Milk Proliferation: Oat, Soy, Almond, and More, But Which Is Best?

Plant Milk Proliferation: Oat, Soy, Almond, and More, But Which Is Best?

Cow milk is out, and plant milk reigns supreme. At least, that's how it feels in the supermarket these days, where the refrigerated section is full of "milk" made from oats, almonds, peanuts, coconuts...

8 Syys 48min

So Hot Right Now: Why We Love the Chile Pepper

So Hot Right Now: Why We Love the Chile Pepper

Perhaps no other plant is as entwined with pain and pleasure as the chile pepper. But why does it burn—and why on earth do we crave that uncomfortable sensation? How did capsaicin's fungus-fighting, d...

18 Elo 48min

Salad Days: A Story of Science, Sexism, and Jell-O

Salad Days: A Story of Science, Sexism, and Jell-O

If leafy greens and a little vinaigrette is salad, and chicken with mayo is salad, and vegetables in Jello-O are ALSO salad… What exactly is salad?! That's the big question we're tackling this episode...

4 Elo 44min

Where There's Smoke, There's...Whiskey, Fish, and Barbecue!

Where There's Smoke, There's...Whiskey, Fish, and Barbecue!

As anyone who’s spent time by a crackling campfire or a barbecue pit can attest, the scent of smoke is unmistakable—and surprisingly mysterious. Smoke clings to clothing but vanishes in the breeze. Yo...

21 Heinä 51min

America's Forbidden Fruit and Forgotten First Soda: Ask Gastropod

America's Forbidden Fruit and Forgotten First Soda: Ask Gastropod

Fan favorite Ask Gastropod is back, and we’re celebrating the season by solving a pair of trans-Atlantic mysteries! First up: if you have a purple candy in Europe, it’s nearly guaranteed to be flavore...

7 Heinä 50min

Bringing Home the Bacon: From Shakespeare to the Baconator

Bringing Home the Bacon: From Shakespeare to the Baconator

For many Americans, bacon is an essential element of the perfect breakfast—not to mention a welcome addition to everything from cheeseburgers to doughnuts. But bacon hasn't always been beloved. Ancien...

23 Kesä 48min

Suosittua kategoriassa Tiede

tiedekulma-podcast
rss-mita-tulisi-tietaa
utelias-mieli
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-hereilla
docemilia
rss-kasvikutsut
rss-radplus
rss-normaalivinouma
rss-vaasan-yliopiston-podcastit
rss-poliisin-mieli