HEALTH PROPERTIES OF LYCOPERSICUM ESCULENTUM

The tomato, Lycopersicum esculentum, is a horticultural plant belonging to the Solanaceae family. In Italy, the term "tomato" is found for the first time in the famous "Herbarius" by Pietro Mattioli. The etymology of the name leads back to the Latin "pomum aureus", apple or golden apple. Unlike in other languages, such as English, the term "tomato" is linked to the etymology of the Aztec version "Xitotomate". The origin of the tomato plant seems to be South America, in particular Chile and Ecuador, where it grows as a wild plant due to the tropical climate and is able to bear fruit throughout the year, while in European regions, if cultivated in 'open, has a seasonal cycle limited to the summer period. From here, it later spread to Central America and it was the Spaniards who made it known in Europe in the 16th century. The cultivation of the tomato plant was already widespread in the pre-Columbian age, when it was used as an ornamental plant and was not used in the kitchen: this is because the tomato was considered poisonous due to its high content in solanine, a substance considered harmful for the 'man. In 1544, the Italian herbalist Pietro Mattioli classified the tomato plant among the poisonous species. It is not clear when the tomato, as an ornamental and poisonous plant, was considered edible by Europeans; it should be noted that not even the inhabitants of South America ate the fruits of the plant. From Europe, or perhaps more precisely from Spain, the tomato plant landed in Morocco, where it found an ideal climate, and from there it spread throughout the Mediterranean basin. Starting from the seventeenth century, in southern Europe, as well as in Bohemia and England, the tomato began to be used fresh and for the preparation of sauces, while its diffusion as a food in northern Europe encountered many difficulties, perhaps due to the presence of other similar wild plants which, due to their high alkaloid content, were not suitable for food consumption. Only at the end of the 18th century, the cultivation of tomatoes for food purposes experienced a strong boost in Europe, mainly in France and Southern Italy. Starting from the 19th century, the tomato was finally included in European gastronomic treaties, favoring a conspicuous diffusion both on the tables of the richest and those of the less well-off.