Sweet-acidic-umami all at once. Cooked tomatoes are almost pure umami.
Tomato
Technically a fruit, treated as a vegetable. Central to more cuisines than most people realize.
What's in it
- · Lycopene (more available when cooked with fat)
- · Vitamin C
- · Potassium
- · Water
How it's cooked
- · Raw (salad, salsa)
- · Slow-cooked into sauce
- · Roasted (concentrates flavor)
- · Sun-dried
Around the world
Italian sauce. Spanish gazpacho. Mexican salsa. Indian curries. West African stews.
Commonly paired with
Olive oilBasil, oreganoGarlicSaltBreadCheese
Texture
Juicy and soft raw. Jammy and rich when cooked.
Questions to investigate
- · Raw tomato with olive oil and salt vs cooked tomato sauce — same ingredient, two nutritional profiles.
- · Room-temperature vs refrigerated — chilling actually mutes tomato flavor.
Your meals with tomato
You haven't logged a meal with tomato yet. When you do, it'll show up here.