Few seasonal ingredients have such a striking effect on me like a late summer tomato, and there’s a reason for that: there is NOTHING quite like a flawlessly ripe tomato – sweet, juicy, perfectly acidic without being overbearing, and tender-yet-firm to the touch – it’s a sensory spectacular!
Growing up in Greece, I loved the summer fiercely for this very reason. When I was young, I would select my preferred tomato of the day, and pluck it from the vine with great anticipation of the succulent, tart-yet-sweet juices that would run down my chin as I ate it like an apple. I did this every day as my afternoon snack during tomato season, even though I knew that we would enjoy a large Horiatiki Salata, or Village Salad (what people know as a Greek salad) with our dinner each evening – you could say that I was tomato-obsessed.
This iconic salad – the Horiatiki Salata, or Village Salad – is known and served all over the world…so the question is: why? Because of the juicy, refreshing tomatoes that everyone loves! They pair beautifully with the crisp cucumbers, crunchy green bell peppers, sharp red onions, briny Kalamata olives, and tart-yet-creamy Feta cheese, all dressed with a touch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper, dry Greek oregano, and of course, Greek extra virgin olive oil. The combination of all these flavors yields the most satisfying, memorable bite…all tied together by the tomato!
The beauty of the tomato lies in its simplicity and its versatility. While of course it can be used raw in salads, salsas, and dressings, when you apply heat to this gorgeous piece of produce, a whole world opens up! They can be baked, roasted, blended, stuffed, or grilled; they can play a supporting role or be the focus of the center of the plate; they can be used in sweet or savory applications; and their ‘state of matter’ is mutable – they can be a sauce, a paste, a water, or even a powder, all simply by applying different methods to the same piece of produce.
As a child, I watched my grandmother and aunts grate fresh tomatoes and combine them with tomato paste to make dishes like Fasolakia – stewed Greek green beans in fresh tomato sauce with tomato paste and olive oil; Gemista – summer vegetables (like tomatoes, green peppers, and zucchini) stuffed with rice and fresh herbs – always with a spoonful of tomato paste to enhance the natural flavors; or Gigantes – braised giant beans with tomato paste, fresh herbs, and olive oil.
The culinary flexibility and benefits of tomatoes are known far and wide, but what about the health benefits? Raw tomatoes are full of vitamins like A, C, K, as well as vitamins E and B, but once you cook them, that’s where you get the real benefits, because the cooking process enhances the antioxidant activity, in particular that of lycopene.
Lycopene is an antioxidant that comes from vitamin A, a carotenoid, which not only gives tomatoes their beautiful red color, but also has protective qualities to guard against cancer – in particular prostate cancer. It’s also known to be great for cardiovascular health and helping lower the risk for heart attacks and other diseases.
This magical fruit-turned-vegetable is known and used throughout the world, and is integrated into almost every cultural cuisine, especially Greek cuisine…but how did this come to be? There were no tomatoes in ancient Greece!
Tomatoes are native to the Americas, and though they came to Europe in the 1600s, they didn’t become popular in Greece until the 1800s when they became almost synonymous with our country’s cuisine. By the early 1900s, tomatoes were so ubiquitous and bountiful in Greece, there was a need for large scale preservation methods like canning and producing tomato paste.
I have to tell you that tomato paste was king of all the recipes, not only in my family, but in homes all over Greece, passed down from generation to generation. Tomato paste was and is a household staple, and is always noted as the ‘secret ingredient’ to taking a dish from great to mouth-wateringly amazing.
I remember going with my father to visit the Kyknos Factory to see how they preserved and canned tomatoes. I was awestruck by the bounty of beautifully ripe, red tomatoes and how the machinery worked to take this perfect item and turn it into something else that my family used at home all the time. Kyknos was established in 1915, and has been making the best quality tomato products – especially their tomato paste – ever since! In Greece, there is no home without a Kyknos product in its cupboards, and I love that they have not only survived the past century, but truly thrived. Not only are their products essential parts of the Greek pantry, but their packaging is as well! You can find Kyknos cans used as flower pots and planters all over Greece!
All of these wonderful food memories make me hungry for my family’s cooking growing up, but given the timeliness and seasonality of tomatoes, I would suggest you head to your nearest farmer’s market and pick out your preferred, perfectly ripe, late summer tomato to enjoy! Dress it simply with a pinch of salt, some freshly ground pepper, a touch of Greek oregano, and a healthy dose of extra virgin olive oil – you will love it!
Καλή όρεξη! Kalí órexi! Enjoy your meal!
