Do you know the etymology of the word "tomato"? And where do plant names come from in general? Most often they are associated with their places of origin. Why is a tomato called that way? You will learn about this from our article.
Meaning of the word “tomato”: etymology
The birthplace of this plant is considered South America. In the 16th century, the conquerors brought it from Europe to Europe from this region. Like many members of the nightshade family, tomatoes were not recognized as edible for a long time, they were grown as an ornamental plant. Most recently, tomatoes appeared in Russia.
Why is a tomato also called a tomato? This happened thanks to the Mexican Indians. The Aztecs called the fruits of this plant tomato. The Russian name is consonant with the Mexican "Nahuatl" or "Matl."
There is an etymology of the word "tomato". The roots come from the Latin language, the word consists of two parts: the token “pomum” was called the fruit of the fruit tree, and “aurum” is translated as “gold”.
Translation from Italian: etymology of the word "tomato"
There is an opinion that in Europe the first to domesticate this plant began in Italy. From here comes another version of the origin of the word "tomato".
Literally translated from Italian, it means "pomo" - a round fruit or an apple, and "d`oro" - of gold. Literally, it sounds very beautiful: a "golden apple." The shape of their fruits is really similar, as is the content of a large amount of organic acids and vitamin C. In fact, these plants belong to different families of angiosperms. The French called them the similar word "fruit of love."
In Europe, persistent rumors about the toxicity of tomatoes. Since ancient times, the story of Christopher Columbus, who gave red fruits to the owner of one of the pubs, has been known. He decided that the sailor wants to poison all visitors. In revenge, the innkeeper ordered Columbus to prepare a tomato dish. Having revealed the plan, the traveler staged a death agony, and then, in front of the amazed visitors, he paid for lunch as if nothing had happened.
Appearance in Russia
Today it is difficult to imagine that this plant appeared on the territory of our country only in the XVIII century, although in the world it was already widely known. It was brought in by sailors from Europe and Turkey. Tomatoes were grown to decorate gardens and indoor greenhouses. Only at the beginning of the 19th century did a tomato earn the glory of a food crop.
The meaning of the word "tomato" also came from abroad. At that time it was called red eggplant, a love apple, a wolf or a throwing berry.
For the first time, the tricky southern fruit was brought to St. Petersburg by Empress Catherine the Russian ambassador from Italy. Tomatoes were stacked in wicker baskets. The ambassador said that these fruits are called golden apples. Visually, they really were similar: an orange tint, a specific smell, dense peel and juicy flesh.
So, the origin (or etymology) of the word "tomato" has several versions. They are associated with the place of growth of this culture. There is a translation of this word from Latin, French and Italian. The most common version for the Russian language is the latter, which means "golden apple".