The value of plants of the nightshade family is great. Edible representatives are very valuable specimens for agriculture. So, potatoes and tomatoes have become an important element of any garden, and even whole plantations are created for their cultivation.
Solanaceous plants of potato and tomato. What is the name of their fruit?
Now it is impossible to imagine a dining table without potatoes and tomatoes. Since childhood, we were fed delicious vegetable salads, a variety of hot dishes. Why are these plants so popular? What is the name of the fruit of the nightshade potato and tomato plants? What do we really eat?
The history of the emergence of potatoes and tomatoes in Europe
The potato is from North America, and the tomato is from South. Potatoes immediately became popular among the population: there were cases when a huge amount of land was cultivated only for her. But the tomatoes did not immediately appear on the table at the Europeans.
For a very long time, the fruits of tomatoes were considered poisonous. However, people learned that Italians willingly eat tomatoes and even call them some of their favorite vegetables. Later, the rest of the European population became acquainted with them, and after that they began to be actively grown in many countries.
Then people still did not know that in fact the fruit of solanaceous plants of potato and tomato is called a berry.
Potato Botanical Description
Out of ignorance, the fruit of nightshade plants of potato and tomato is called a tuber. However, this is an erroneous statement, because in fact, their fruit is a berry. As for potatoes, its fruits are poisonous and not used by people. What we used to call potatoes is actually a modified underground shoot.
In total, the potato plant has two types of underground shoots - stolons and tubers. First, filamentous stolons depart from the stem, the task of which is to get as far as possible in the soil. This is done so that the potato tubers do not interfere with each other's growth.
From the main apical kidney of the stolon, a tuber develops - what we constantly collect and from which we prepare our dishes. On the surface of this modified shoot are several (from 3 to 15) ocelli, which are resting kidneys. Of these, in the future, when planting, a young shoot of the plant develops .
Near each eye, you can sometimes notice a small scar - a leaf mark, which also proves the shoot origin.
The function of potato tubers is to store nutrients, especially carbohydrates. Almost the entire space is represented by a special tissue, the cells of which accumulate starchy grains inside itself.
Outside, the tuber is lined with cork, the layers of which form the skin. It is here that the highest concentration of minerals, proteins and lipids.
Wild forms of potato previously accumulated in tubers salanin. It is an antibacterial substance that also helps get rid of parasite insects. Salanin is dangerous to human health. Although there is practically no this substance in the tubers of modern plants, it can still sometimes accumulate. If the potato lies in the sun, it begins to turn green, and this is accompanied by the formation of a toxin. Therefore, before use, be sure to cut off such a section of the tuber.
Today there is a whole list of potato varieties, each of which differs in the shape and color of the tubers. The shape of the potato can be oval, elongated or rounded, and its color ranges from almost white to red and purple.
Potato Tuber Properties
Potatoes have long been considered the "second bread" on a person’s dining table. This is not surprising, because its tubers contain a whole bunch of substances necessary for our body. These are, first of all, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. By the way, in the potato are all the essential amino acids that the body cannot synthesize on its own.
Eating only 300 g of potatoes, we get a daily intake of carbohydrates, phosphorus and potassium. Not bad, is it?
Potatoes are not deprived of vitamins: there are almost all fat-soluble (A, K, E) and most of the water-soluble vitamins (C, B vitamins).
In potato tubers macro- and microelements necessary for human life are stored. The former include potassium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Of the trace elements in the tubers are iron, iodine, manganese, cobalt, copper, fluorine and some others.
A huge advantage of potatoes is that almost all the substances in its tubers are contained in an easily digestible form. You should remember only one simple rule: useful substances are deposited further from the core of the modified shoot. This can be used when peeling potatoes, cutting the skin as thin as possible. Useful substances are kept as much as possible if you cook potatoes with the peel.
Although the fruit of nightshade potato and tomato plants is called a berry, not every plant has a large amount of nutrients stored in it. Potatoes in tubers have a wealth of vitamins, elements, and organics that are much richer than their fruits.
Botanical description of tomato
As already noted, the fruit of nightshade plants of potato and tomato is called a berry. Tomatoes do not have tubers.
It is hard to imagine that juicy, fleshy and beautiful fruits develop from plain and almost colorless flowers. There are many varieties of plants, so the shape of tomatoes can be diverse: round and elongated, oblate and pear-shaped, pepper-shaped and cylindrical. The color palette is also different. Along with the usual red tomatoes, you can find yellow, orange, pink and even black.
Sometimes the concepts of "tomato" and "tomato" are distinguished. This is a tomato, when the whole plant is mentioned. A tomato is its fruit, which is eaten. However, there is no longer a clear boundary between the two words, so a gross mistake will not be considered if you call, for example, the fruit of a plant tomato.
Properties of Tomatoes
Because the fruit of nightshade plants of potato and tomato is called a berry, why can't we call ketchup jam? Sometimes truth can be even more confusing. But berries have a variety of properties: they are rich in vitamins, and are also used in folk medicine.
Tomatoes perfectly help to cope with the low acidity of the stomach, with the help of various organic acids. In addition, the substance quartzetine is synthesized in the fruits of the plant, which fights against inflammatory processes. For this reason, chopped tomato should be applied to wounds and bruises.
Conclusion
The family of solanaceous plants of potato and tomato is called the treasure of the fields. Using these vegetables, you can cook delicious, and most importantly, nutritious dishes that will please absolutely everyone. Potatoes and tomatoes have many useful properties, so they are so appreciated. And do not forget that the fruit of nightshade plants of potato and tomato is called a berry, because you need to know what we actually eat.