Evil history of tomatoes (текст и вопросы к нему)

Evil history of tomatoes

In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato. A nickname for the fruit was the "poison apple" because it was thought that aristocrats got sick and died after eating them, but the truth of the matter was that wealthy Europeans used pewter plates, which were high in lead content. Because tomatoes are so high in acidity, when placed on this particular tableware, the fruit would leach lead from the plate, resulting in many deaths from lead poisoning. No one made this connection between plate and poison at the time; the tomato was picked as the culprit. The tomato was eaten by the Aztecs as early as 700 AD and called the "tomatl" and wasn't grown in Britain until the 1590s. In the early 16th century, Spanish conquistadors returning from expeditions in Mexico and other parts of Mesoamerica were thought to have first introduced the seeds to southern Europe. Up until the late 1800s in cooler climates, tomatoes were solely grown for ornamental purposes in gardens rather than for eating. Smith continues: By 1822, hundreds of tomato recipes appeared in the periodicals and newspapers, but fears and rumors of the plant's potential poison lingered. By the 1830s when the love apple was cultivated in New York, a new concern emerged. The Green Tomato Worm, measuring three to four inches in length with a horn sticking out of its back, began taking over tomato patches across the state. According to The Illustrated Annual Register of Rural Affairs and Cultivator Almanac (1867) edited by J.J. Thomas, it was believed that a mere brush with such a worm could result in death. With the rise of agricultural societies, farmers began investigating the tomato's use and experimented with different varieties. According to Smith, back in the 1850s the name tomato was so highly regarded that it was used to sell other plants at market. By 1897, innovator Joseph Campbell figured out that tomatoes keep well when canned and popularized condensed tomato soup. Today, tomatoes are consumed around the world in countless varieties: heirlooms, romas, cherry tomatoes-to name a few. More than one and a half billion tons of tomatoes are produced commercially every year.

Give full answers to the questions.

1. What was the nickname for tomato?

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2. What was the real reason of poisoning by tomatoes?

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3. Who was the first to eat tomatoes?

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4. When were tomatoes brought to Britain?

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5. Were tomatoes grown for ornamental purposes in the 18^th century?

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6. What helped tomatoes to become popular?

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7. Why were people so afraid of green tomato worm?

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8. What suggestion did Campbell make to keep tomatoes well?

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9. What varieties of tomatoes do you know?

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10. How many tomatoes are produced every year?

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