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From the vine

Sweet and savoury tomatoes

by VICKI SHANTA RETELNY

Tomatoes come in many shapes and sizes, and in colours ranging from yellow to orange to red to green to brownish purple. While thought of as a vegetable, tomatoes are fruits grown on vines. Originally from South America, tomatoes are a kitchen staple across the globe.

Whether fresh or in salsa, concentrate, juice or ketchup, the mighty tomato packs a nourishing punch. With only 32 calories in 250 millilitres (1 cup) of chopped tomatoes, they are loaded with vitamin C, potassium, vitamin K and folate, as well as the red carotenoid pigment called lycopene, which might have a role in reducing the risk of prostate cancer and heart disease. In addition, tomatoes give dishes a rich, savoury flavour called umami, which comes from the amino acid glutamate.

Tomatoes’ flavours are based on their ratio of sugar to acid, as well as their aroma. Sweet-tasting tomatoes, such as cherry tomatoes, contain more sugar and less acid, and when you bite into one it exudes a bevy of sweet aromatic compounds.

Out of the hundreds of hybrid varieties of tomatoes, each of the versatile tomato types has unique culinary applications. Enjoy juicy and sweet bite-size cherry tomatoes in salads, on skewers and in kebabs; use tiny grape tomatoes for snacking. Tomatoes on the vine, which are sold with the stem intact, are perfect sliced and piled on burgers and sandwiches; the attached vine prolongs their shelf life and continues to give the tomato nutrients. Whipping up a marinara sauce? They also make a tasty purée that can be used to top pasta or pizza, nestled into lasagna or spread over baked chicken or eggplant.

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