Secret History X

The English word tomato comes from derives from “tomatl,” its name in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. The first printed reference to the Tomatl was in a Spanish tract in 1595. In the tract it is mentioned that Hernando Cortez discovered tomatoes growing in Montezuma‘s gardens and brought seeds back to Europe in 1519 where they were planted as ornamental curiosities, but not eaten. The early fruits were yellow, and became known as “manzanas” (apples) and “pomi d’oro” (apple of gold).

The history of the Tomato can be traced back to the early Aztecs around 700 A.D; and mention appears in the diary of an early Italian writer who called the tomato a “Poma Peruviana” (Peru being a generic name for Andean South America). Few primitive forms of tomato are found in Central America and Mexico compared with the number in South America, indicating a rather late adoption of the fruit by Central and Northwest Indians. The Spanish distributed the tomato through most of the Carribbean colonies, and are responsible for introducing it to Europe, the Philippines, and South East Asia.

The Spanish, Catalan, and Occitan people of the Piedmont (north-Western Italy) were the first to embrace and cultivate the tomato for practical reasons (as food) outside South America. The French called it the “love apple.” or Pomme d’Amour, and was prized for its stimulating aphrodisiac qualities. However it remained suspect among the Upper class outside these areas and was shunned by the British. The earliest reference to tomatoes being grown in British North America is from 1710, when herbalist William Salmon reported seeing them in what is today South Carolina. They were doubtless introduced by the Spanish settlers from the Caribbean, and Huguenot refugees who fled from the areas of Europe that were the early adopters of tomato use.

New England with its heavy English influence remained profoundly suspect of the fruit until at last in 1808, Jamaican raised Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson, proved once and for all that the tomato was not poisonous by performing a public demonstration of rather exhibitionist proportions on the steps of the Salem NJ Courthouse. Colonel Johnson, dressed in black and accompanied by the local Fireman’s band playing funeral dirges, bravely consumed an entire basket of tomatoes. His grandstanding attracted a crowd of people estimated at 2000 who were certain that the foolish Captain was committing public suicide. When this Victorian era Mythbuster failed to expire or suffer any ill effects, the myth was effectively busted. However, it is interesting that the tomato is still the first of “The Usual Suspects” in any incident of communal food poisoning.

So while it appears that this plant in indeed edible and may well have its origins in South America, the mystery remains that in the 2nd Century CE the Greek Physician Claudius Galen accurately describes this plant as being native to North Africa and the Canary Islands. Is it possible that the common Tomato may actually be proof of pre-Columbian commerce between North Africa and South America prior to 700 A.D?

The rare and beautiful Orothamnus is known as both the Marsh Rose and the Phoenix Rose. Commonly referred to as the Marsh Rose it is rare and grows only in peaty marshes. It is called the Phoenix Rose due to its unique lifecycle. While the plants themselves live on average only about 15 years, the seed can remain underground for over 35 years waiting for a rare summer fire in order to germinate.

The Phoenix Rose was discovered first by Jean Villet the twice great grandson of Pirate Thomas Tew.