Tomatoes (tomatoes) are fruits of the same plant from the Solanaceae family. The homeland of tomatoes Central and South America, where the Maya, Aztec and Inca Indians grew them since ancient times. According to local legends, tomatoes, along with corn (maize) and potatoes, have a "cosmic" origin, since the gods gave them local inhabitants for suffering and famine after a terrible cataclysm, when all the plants died and there was nothing to eat.
And to finish with the legends we will cite one more, connected with the name "tomato". Inkam, forced with grief in half to learn the Spanish language of the conquerors, wanted to melt the cruel heart of the hidalgo Pizarro, by offering him these bright fruits. "Tomate!" (From Spanish - "try it!"). So this name appeared.
The name "tomato" originated from Italian, and in translation means "golden apple".
So it was or not, it is not known, but the fact that this fruit has won worldwide recognition and popularity is absolutely accurate!
In the 16th century the conquistadors brought tomato seeds to Spain, from there they reached their neighbors in Portugal, and then quickly gained their "place under the sun" in the entire Mediterranean. After about 200 years, finally, a tomato appears in Russia. Fate at first was not merciful here to the tomato. Calling bright red color and unusual taste for a long time caused vague fears about the poison and even the "devilish" origin of the fetus. But, in the end, progress, as always, won, and now it's even hard to imagine a menu without a conventional salad of tomatoes. For their part, breeders have brought out a huge variety of varieties of tomatoes, suitable for growing in all climatic zones, up to the Far North. Among them are such masterpieces as Bull's Heart, Crimson, Lemon, Ladies Fingers, Cherry and others.
Prevalence and quantity of calories in a tomato
The popularity of tomatoes is associated not only with excellent taste, but also with many useful qualities. In the composition of a tomato there are easily assimilated carbohydrates, pectin substances and many vitamins. These are vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, E. But especially a lot of vitamin C. A half kilo of tomatoes, and you have fully met the daily intake rate! In tomatoes, a lot of potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and phosphorus . Pigment lycopene, which determines the red color of the fetus, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, as, in fact, low in calories in tomatoes. Cancer, prostate diseases, diseases of the visual apparatus - all these ailments flutter before the Latin American tomato.
At the same time, enzymes do not suffer from heat treatment, which makes the tomato useful not only in raw, but also in fried, baked, boiled.
The number of calories in a fresh tomato is quite low. Depending on the variety, it varies from 15 to 23 kcal. This allows you to use it widely in a variety of diets. As a mono-diet, using tomatoes is not very recommended, the experience of researchers has shown that using them in a "pure form" and a large amount can lead to an allergy or a complete failure of the body to process this product. It is desirable to eat tomatoes in food as a side dish or salad with fish or poultry meat with an unloading diet, good, how many calories in a fresh tomato really allows us to maneuver this tool for slimming.
Are there many calories in tomatoes?
Recently, the culinary fashion included a small cherry tomato, obtained by selection in 1973. This tiny tomato is the caloric diet leader - the calorie content of the cherry tomato is only 15 kcal (!), While retaining all the useful and taste properties of his older brothers and looks great on the table of this gourmet.