There's clearly an inherently contradictory element at play here. You don't often see people deliberately on the hunt for under-ripe strawberries or apples, but clearly, there's something about green tomatoes that sets them apart, from both a culinary perspective and as a cultural artifact. But it's much more than the sum of its parts. It's redolent of the south, rich with history and culture, crisp and comforting, a shatteringly crisp coating giving way to tender, mild green tomato.
It's unbeatable, and you needn't be from the south in order to enjoy. But hold on a moment. Culinary historian and food writer Robert F.
Moss discovered something unexpected when delving into the origins of the famous dish: It may not be nearly as southern as you'd expect. The book notes that some early recipes may have originated form Jewish cookbooks in the early s, including recipes gathered from "America, Austria, Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Roumania, etc. The very first published recipe is said to have appeared in a Chicago newspaper in the late s, prior to being mentioned in regional publications in "Kalamazoo, in Denver, in Iowa City, in Pittsburgh," in addition to southern cities like Augusta and Biloxi, according to Serious Eats.
In the mids, though, the popularity began to taper off — until the novel was released. The movie revolutionized the understanding of the modest dish and it soon took on a different meaning entirely.
The newspaper stated "no self-respecting Southerner would dream of eating a fried green tomato. Green tomatoes can become much more than just deep-fried deliciousness, though. They are firm, taut, acidic, sour, and offer an entirely different texture and flavor profile than regular tomatoes. The Spruce Eats also notes that they're much less juicy than standard red tomatoes. The flavor is very tart and astringent, but mellows out considerably once cooked.
They make excellent relishes, compotes, side dishes, casseroles, pasta sauces, tarts or pies, and much more. You can trace the history of tomatoes back to as far as A. The most common type is large, round, and red. However, there are numerous varieties of tomatoes in the world today, including green tomatoes. There are two types of green tomatoes; unripe red tomatoes and actual green tomatoes. Before red tomatoes ripen, they hold a green color, but, as they age, they take on the red pigment.
Green tomatoes remain green even after ripening. Ripe green tomatoes are soft when you press them, unlike unripe red tomatoes, which will feel solid. Like red tomatoes, the green tomatoes are highly nutritious, packing decent amounts of carbohydrates, fiber, and other compounds.
Can you eat green tomatoes raw? Yes, you can eat green tomatoes raw. They are juicy, sweet, and full of antioxidants, which helps fight various diseases. They can make a valuable contribution to people looking to maintain a healthy diet. Most plants, including standard vegetables and herbs, contain toxins. This is a type of defense mechanism to limit predation. That is why people can get sick after overeating various vegetables. Being omnivores, humans can absorb and break down most plant toxins, as long as they are not too potent.
Green tomatoes are in the same family, Solanaceae, with various poisonous plants such as deadly nightshade, henbane, datura, and mandrake. Therefore it is no surprise that tomatoes contain toxic alkaloids such as solanine, atropine, and tomatine. Nevertheless, as tomatoes ripen, the levels of these alkaloids gradually reduce.
The highest concentration of these toxins is in the stem and leaves of the tomato plant and immature tomatoes. However, the level of toxic alkaloids is lowest in mature fruits. After all, the plant wants to protect its immature green fruits from predation so they can mature safely and produce viable seeds, so it makes sense green fruits should be toxic, yet mature fruits were designed to be eaten by animals. As the fruit is consumed by a bird, reptile or mammal, its seeds are either dropped on the ground in a new spot or pass intact through the digestive system unharmed, so the animal partner disseminates the seeds far and wide it its feces.
As a result, the toxicity of many fruits in the Solanaceae tribe tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, ground cherries, etc. The closer tomatoes are to ripeness, the less toxic they will be. And the tastier. Alkaloids are very bitter. Those rock hard, very immature tomatoes have a nasty taste and hiding their bitterness takes a lot of inventive food preparation.
Also, many recipes that include very immature green tomatoes seriously dilute them with other ingredients. Do note that cooking does not destroy alkaloids it does destroy other toxic compounds , although they do dissolve in water to a certain degree, so if you boil green tomatoes and drain away the cooking water, that would reduce their toxicity.
Under that circumstance, a cooked green tomato will be just as rich in alkaloids as a raw one. Their toxicity is quite limited. At worst, if you eat a few, depending on your sensitivity to tomatine and solanine, you may experience a bit of gastrointestinal distress. And indeed, some people seem so highly sensitive to tomato alkaloids, they may not even be able to eat mature tomatoes even though their alkaloid level is very low.
That could send you to the hospital. One estimate suggests an average-sized man would have to eat around green tomatoes to reach a lethal dose. But discomfort will set in at much less than that. Moderation in all things is best! So, are green tomatoes poisonous? Yes, but only a slightly, not enough to do any harm in most cases. Dr Gundry says not to eat the tomatoes seeds or skin too!
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