Saturday, December 14, 2024
Have you ever wondered how and why some of the things that seem like a routine part of everyday life today became that way? No? Okay, maybe it’s just the way my crazy brain works. But take that unassuming bottle of ketchup in your refrigerator. To look at it, you wouldn’t think that there was this whole backstory of how it became one of America’s most loved condiments. But you would be wrong. There’s a whole lot of history in that little bottle of ketchup.
The Tomato: From Poison to Medicine
In the early 19th century, Americans didn’t exactly greet the tomato with open arms. Many believed it was poisonous—after all, it belonged to the nightshade family, which includes a few deadly relatives. But leave it to a doctor named John Cook Bennett to turn this distrust around. In 1834, Bennett, an Ohio physician with a flair for dramatic claims, declared that tomatoes could cure anything from indigestion to jaundice. As if that weren’t enough, he developed “tomato pills” and began marketing them as a medical wonder, insisting they could cleanse the body of all its ills.
Though Bennett’s claims didn’t hold much water (or ketchup), they were a hit—at least for a while. His tomato pills became something of a health fad, and tomatoes started to move from feared poison to potential miracle cure. Sure, his cure-all was eventually debunked, and by the 1850s, tomatoes’ brief stint as a wonder drug was over, but the fruit’s reputation was forever changed.
Ketchup: The Real Tomato Success Story
While tomato pills didn’t last, ketchup became the real superstar in the tomato world. Philadelphia scientist James Mease was one of the first to create a tomato-based ketchup recipe in 1812, though it wasn’t widely popular at the time. Early ketchups lacked preservatives and spoiled quickly. But in 1876, H.J. Heinz figured out how to make ketchup last. By adding vinegar, Heinz not only extended ketchup’s shelf life but also introduced it in clear glass bottles, a bold move to prove its purity and quality.
Despite Heinz’s marketing genius, the famous “57” on the bottle was a bit of a quirk. The number had no connection to actual products; instead, it was Heinz’s favorite mix of his lucky number (5) and his wife’s (7). Who knew that such arbitrary math could create one of the world’s most iconic condiments?
Tomato: Fruit or Vegetable? (Cue the Supreme Court)
The tomato's identity crisis doesn’t stop at its transition from poison to medicine. In 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court found itself in a pickle over whether the tomato should be classified as a fruit or a vegetable. Botanically speaking, tomatoes are fruits (they grow from flowers and contain seeds), but for legal and taxation purposes, the Court declared them vegetables. Why? Because in common culinary usage, tomatoes are eaten with dinner, not dessert.
The case, Nix v. Hedden, revolved around import tariffs, with vegetables being taxed while fruits were not. Justice Horace Gray concluded that tomatoes were vegetables, at least in “the common language of the people.” That decision still stands today, meaning we can all sleep better knowing our tomatoes will always be taxed alongside cucumbers and carrots.
The Ever-Evolving Tomato
So what started as a feared and misunderstood fruit became a medicinal fad and then the base of one of America’s favorite condiments. Today, tomatoes are celebrated worldwide, appearing in everything from pasta sauce to the beloved Bloody Mary. And while the days of tomato pills are long gone, the tomato has solidified its place as a versatile, delicious, and sometimes confusing kitchen staple.
micky@hcnews.com
