You say ToMAYto - I'll say ToMAHto

History

When you count ketchup and tomato sauce in the big picture, then you'll begin to comprehend why Americans consume up to a 100 pounds of tomatoes per person every year. Today, tomatoes are one of our favorite foods. But it hasn't always been so. Even though the plant grows wild in Mexico, the tomato actually came to California in a long and roundabout fashion.

In 1519, Spanish explorer Hernan Cortez was the first European to spot the fruit in Central America. He noticed tomatoes for the first time, bubbling in a stew with chili peppers. The main ingredient, unbeknownst to him, was Spanish Explorer. Obviously, the famous navigator didn't wind-up in the pot. Instead he returned to Europe with many of South America's riches, including the tomato.

Even though the tomato is an American plant, it wasn't until the 1700's that the Spanish Missionaries and Basque shepherds from France actually brought the tomato with them to California. And naturally, the fruit thrived here in our warm soils and mild climate.

Today, California's commercial growers lead the world in tomato production: harvesting 21 billion pounds of processing tomatoes and close to 10 million pounds of fresh market tomatoes every year. Add to that, the 1 in 5 households that grow their own and that equals a huge tomato consumption in California.