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Tomatoes

What are tomatoes?

About the ingredient tomatoes. Including 4,139 recipes with tomatoes, nutrition data, photos, and where to find it.

 

About

Tomatoes are used in diverse ways, including raw in salads, processed into ketchup or cooked in a tomato soup as well as a rich and wide variety of sauces.

tomatoes

Tomato juice is used in a number of tomato juice based beverages. The Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail based on a tomato juice vegetable cocktail.

Unripe green tomatoes can be seen breaded and fried, especially in Southern US as in Fried Green Tomatoes or used to make salsas or relishes.

tomatoes

Botanically, tomatoes are a fruit, but they are considered a vegetable even by the US Supreme Court.

Varieties

varieties of tomatoes

There are a large number (roughly 7,500) tomato varieties grown for a variety of purposes.  There has been a steady rise in popularity of heirloom tomatoes in recent years. Heirloom varieties are particularly popular with home gardeners and organic farmers as then tend to produce more flavorful crops.

Hybrid tomato plants remain common, producing better yield, and they can sometimes combine more interesting characteristics of heirloom varieties.

Preservation

tomatoes

Tomatoes are quite acidic, which make them ideal to preserve easily in home canning; whole, in pieces, as tomato sauce or paste.

Dried tomatoes is also a popular method of preservation. Tomatoes can be preserved by drying, often in the sun, and sold either in bags or in jars with oil.

Health Benefits

tomatoes

Widely consumed throughout the world, tomato consumption is believed to benefit the heart among other things.

Tomato consumption has been linked with a reduced risk of breast head and neck cancers and might also be strongly protective against neurodegenerative disease.

When cooked, tomatoes contain lycopene. Lycopene is considered to be a natural antioxidant. In some studies, it has been found to help prevent prostate cancers but other research has contradicted this claim.

Lycopene appears to help improve the skin's ability to protect against harmful UV rays. 

Also found in tomatoes, is anthocyanin, carotene, and other antioxidants which may provide a variety of health benefits.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 NLEA serving (148g)
Amount per Serving
Calories 26Calories from Fat 2
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 0.3g 0%
Saturated Fat 0.0g 0%
Trans Fat ~
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 7mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 5.8g 2%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Sugars 3.9
Protein 1.3g
Vitamin A 25% Vitamin C 31%
Calcium 1% Iron 2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

Where found

Tomatoes are usually found in the produce section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group

Tomatoes are a member of the Vegetables and Vegetable Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

How much do tomatoes weigh?

Measure Grams
1 cup cherry tomatoes 149
1 cup, chopped or sliced 180
1 Italian tomato 62
1 cherry 17
1 large whole (3" dia) 182
1 medium whole (2-3/5" dia) 123
1 slice, medium (1/4" thick) 20
1 plum tomato 62
1 small whole (2-2/5" dia) 91
1 slice, thick/large (1/2" thick) 27
1 wedge (1/4 of medium tomato) 31
1 slice, thin/small 15
1 NLEA serving 148

In Chinese:蕃茄
British (UK) term: Tomatoes
en français:tomate
en español:el tomates

Recipes using tomatoes

There are 4139 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 4,139 recipes

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