Stewed tomatoes

The word tomato originated from the Spanish word Tomate, meaning the "swelling fruit" due to its plumpness.[3] While, the word stewed may owe its origins from the old French word estuver which means "plunging into bath or taking a hot bath".[4] The word stew may also have been originated from the vulgar Latin word extufere which means "to evaporate".[4]

The tomato is native to the continent of South America, and was introduced in North America in the 1710s by British colonialists.[5] The origins of stewed tomatoes can be dated back to the nineteenth century when the cultivation of tomatoes increased in North America.[6] The large amount of cultivation of tomatoes in American households made way for a variety of dishes like stews and ketchup.[6]

The first mention of tomatoes in North America was in 1710, when William Salmon wrote a book about English herbals named History of Plant.[7] In the 1830s, mass production of tomato juice was developed, following which stewed tomatoes entered the market. It was not until the 1950s that stewed tomatoes were recorded and diversified ways of storing tomatoes were developed, like the use of freezing and canning.[7]

Historical rises in the stewed tomatoes were due to the rising production of tomatoes in the United States. The rapid growth of technologies in developing innovative approaches for harvesting tomatoes drove up local production.[7] Thus, in 1860s, the improved approaches in production and harvests drove up the adoption rate of stewed tomatoes in California.[7]  Food historian Andrew F. Smith stated that stewed tomatoes became popular in the United States during the 1860s.[8] The dish has since gained popularity and is now a favorite side as well as main dish of the American Kitchen.[8] Currently, the dish is prepared on special occasions like Thanksgiving, in American kitchens, often as a combination with casseroles and puddings.[2] Noted food historian Betty Fussell stated that stewed tomatoes were one of the most loved and common dishes for her grandfather's generation. She adds that she remembers heating tomatoes and adding butter, salt and sugar in it, to create a dish that was served with bread on a daily basis.[2] Not only household kitchens but restaurants and eateries also included stewed tomatoes in their menu due to its popularity. One of the first racing track in Kentucky had stewed tomatoes on its menu in the year 1788.[9]

The tomatoes should be washed, inspected, chopped into pieces, and peeled during preparation. The cooked process should ensure the temperature higher than 190 °F.[10] The acidity level of tomatoes becomes a strong concern since 1950s, as it has the pH level below 4.6.[11] Preparing the stewed tomatoes might help to leverage this level higher than 4.6, and the recommendations for preparing stewed tomatoes include the prolonged processing time in order to maintain good tastes and best status for future storage. For instance, in the 210 °F, the time for processing should be around 35 and 45.[12]

A variety of recipes of stewed tomatoes are available in cookery books and on the internet in the present day.[13] A common quick recipe of the dish that is used by almost all American home is the combination of tomatoes and veggies to form a wholesome meal.[14]

Ingredients

Tomatoes - 2

Butter- 1 tablespoon

Garlic- 2 cloves

Bell peppers- 1

Celery- 2 stalks

Salt and pepper- to taste

Basil- 1/4 tablespoon

Preparing the dish involves cooking all the ingredients in a large saucepan for almost 7–10 minutes, until the tomatoes turn soft and juicy.[14] Cooling tomatoes into the sink of ice water by putting the kettle. Pour the stewed tomato into freezer container which is wide top and leave about 1/2 inch between the cover. Seal, label, and cool for up to 10 months.

Every American household may have a different way of making stewed tomatoes, some may add veggies and some may prefer it in the old style with only tomatoes and herbs.[8] Also, the variations and of the dish are found all over the world, in the forms of tomato stews, tomato chutneys and tomato pudding.

Stewed tomatoes is served as a side, complementing consuming wines and red meat. The preparation of beef will affect the experiences of taking red wine and the two are positively related.[15] Stewed tomatoes will provide sufficient acids, which combined with sugars will create a strong flavour and aroma of beef, which will in turn enrich the taste of red wine.[15] Therefore, many restaurants usually use the stewed tomatoes as siders to prepare beef, usually creating the fresh tastes and thus promote the sales of both beef and red wines.[15]

Similarly, the flavour of stewed pork can also be improved by the use of stewed tomatoes,[16] but they play limit impacts on the tastes of red wine. Besides, the stewed tomatoes could improve the efficiency in preparing stewed pork by directly putting the canned stewed tomatoes into the stewed pork. Not only the tastes, but also the colours are attractive by adding stewed tomatoes.[16]

Not only rich in the nutrition, but stewed tomatoes also have association with the mental health.[22] Provide the empirical evidence by using statistical analysis to support the significant positive correlation between the intakes of tomatoes (including stewed tomatoes and tomato stews) and symptom of depression for Japanese elders. It means that rich tomato-diet could be a good way to prevent depression among elders. Actually, the healthy contribution of stewed tomatoes could also be significant for all the ages[23] reveal that intakes of cooked tomatoes would contribute to the mental health for both men and women. In particular, stewed tomatoes could be a good recipe that help them to cope with cancer and also psychological stress, and such effects are especially significant for women.

Stewed tomatoes are a type of well acknowledged healthy diet with high nutrition but low calories. Furthermore, their flavours are usually good for young children and easy to chew.[24] Therefore, stewed tomatoes are frequently used for preparing food for babies and young children. With the rising issue of obesity, many day-care centres in North America now use the stewed tomatoes as a weekly diet for children to ensure the sufficient intakes of vegetables and prevent obesity among children.[24]

Stewed tomatoes could also provide sufficient fibered in addition to the high volumes of vitamin C. Fibres will help to prevent constipation and fibres in tomatoes are especially important for women.[25] Those Women with intakes of high volumes of stewed tomatoes usually show less chances of breast cancer, which is due to the negative association between the risk of breast cancer and intakes of potatoes.[25]