Tomato — A Centerpiece of Indian Cooking
Originated in the Aztec Empire, now rules the world
A few years ago, I saw a funny video of a news anchor from Pakistan, India’s archrival, ranting about the lack of tomatoes. Turns out, due to border tensions between India and Pakistan, India had established a trade embargo on tomatoes. Upset by the lack of tomatoes in his curries, the anchor was ranting about it on TV. Of course, the video was viral on social media. Regardless, it highlighted the importance of tomatoes in subcontinent dishes. Yet, what is this fruit (yes — tomato is a berry) and where did it come from?
A brief history of tomatoes
Aztecs were the original grower of tomatoes. The fruit was unknown outside the American continent before the 16th century. All changed with the European discovery and conquest of the American continent. Tomatoes became popular in Europe — moving rapidly from Spanish cuisine to Portuguese and Italian. From the Europeans, especially the Portuguese, tomatoes were brought to India and gradually began to take over the various cuisines in India.
Tomato rice, Rasam, and Sambar are some of the popular dishes of South India. In the north, the various curries, as well as delicious dal, are cooked with tomatoes. In fact, India is the 2nd largest tomato producer in the world with tomato production almost double that of the United States.
Some simple recipes
Tomatoes are seldom used as the main ingredient or the star of the show except maybe in a soup or in Rasam. The tangy tomato-y flavor works best as a base in which other ingredients — a source of protein or a starchy tuber-like potato can be cooked. Thus the tomato provides a rich, flavorful broth for the “main ingredient”. In a Bollywood analogy, tomato is the loyal sidekick who helps the hero win over the villain, often sacrificing his own life in the process.
Here are some simple recipes from among the wide variety of articles published in the Cutting Chai -
An easy chicken recipe that uses tomatoes -
A simple recipe with chickpeas -
I am sure you use tomatoes in your daily cooking. When cooking with it next time, we can all thank the Aztecs for this wonderful fruit!
