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Food, drink & travel
August 17th - August 30th 2016
Fancy fruit Ana DeJesus uncovers the best tomatoes found in Spain
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PAIN has a fruitful relationship with the tomato. An enthusiastic grower and consumer, Spain produces a fifth of all the tomatoes in Europe, exported principally to Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and
France. The country is also among the highest in the world in terms of consumption of tomatoes. Although it’s hard to imagine, the ruby red fruit wasn’t always an irreplaceable part of Spanish cuisine like it is now.
Raf tomato The Raf Tomato originated in Almeria as the result of selection and crossing of traditional tomato varieties. Thanks to the mild climate of its birthplace in Andalucia, the Raf is most commonly available from December to April, a rare winter fruit. This tomato is characterised by its flattened shape, grooved sides, and dark green streaks of color. The darker the color, the sweeter the
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Tomatoes are natives of the New World and were brought back to Europe by Spaniards in the early 16th century. The Spanish word tomate comes from the Aztec word tomati. But because they are part of the nightshade family of plants, which are poisonous, Europefruit, though the Raf does have a bit of acidity. Rafs ripen from the inside out, meaning that they are ripe and sweet on the inside while retaining their firm and crunchy texture. Esteemed and highly fashionable fruit, Raf tomatoes are so representative of Andalucia that twostar Michelin chef Dani Garcia created an award-winning dish called Our Raf tomato, stuffed with pipiranna, Motril shrimp, green bean juice and aromatised green onion.
ans were suspicious of the new fruit and used them as decorative plants. It took almost two hundred years for the tomato to become an integral part of Spanish cuisine. In Spain, tomatoes are generally used fresh in salads or for cooking although canned products like tomate frito (tomato and olive oil sauce) have always been popular. The classic Spanish dish gazpacho is perhaps the country’s greatest homage to the tomato. The oblong Roma variety is typically used for this cold soup along with bell peppers, bread, olive oil, vinegar and garlic. Salmorejo and pisto, a type of ratatouille, also utilise the fruit. And sofrito, a blend of garlic, onion, and tomato, serves as a base for a multitude of Spanish dishes. It’s not a surprise, then, that Spanish growers produce some of the most tasty and high quality varieties of tomatoes. Though for the best kinds, you may have to venture outside the supermarket.
Pink tomato of Huesca (Barbastro) A Spanish variety grown in the northern part of the region of Aragón in the foothills of the Pyrenees, this pink tomato has long been cultivated in small plots in the province and is traditionally sold in local markets around Huesca. Larger in size with thin skin, a pinkish colour, and fleshy interior, the tomate rosa’s intense, delicious flavour and few seeds mean that it is becoming more popular in the Catalan market, as well as Madrid and northern Spain, and is best appreciated in a simple tomato salad.
Green Tomatoes
Kumato
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A Kumato basically comes with a quality guarantee. Developed in the early 2000s in Murcia, this variety is Spain’s response to consumer’s demand for a tomato with taste. Not your average salad tomato, the Kumato is edible whether ripe or not and, like the Raf, it ripens from the inside out, making it intense, sweet, and juicy with a firm texture. This fruit is known as a ‘black’ tomato with a shiny, perfectly round appearance a dark shade of green. Kumatoes are a favourite with Michelin star chefs like Joaquin Felipe who makes a Kumato tartar with Bluefin tuna, Ramon Freixa who created a baked Kumato with shrimp tortita and egg yolk, and Adolfo Muñoz’s recipe for Kumato pisto with jamón Serrano, among others.
It’s easy to confuse green tomatoes with similar-looking Mexican tomatillos. Here’s the difference. Green tomatoes are essentially hard, unripe tomatoes that have not yet changed color, with the exception of a few varieties that stay green when ripe. They’re usually sold in the fall as cooler temperatures mean that the fruit does not receive enough heat to ripen fully. Green tomatoes are firm and tart so they are usually cooked and most often fried. Tomatillos are the fruit of a different plant entirely. They are coated in a sticky residue and protected with a papery husk when picked. Tomatillos have a tart, fruit, and slightly herbal flavor so they are often used in salsas and sauces. Fried green tomatoes are a common tapa dish and a great option for vegetarians looking for a crunchy treat.