History

Tomatoes originate from the Andes in South America, where they grow wild in what is now Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador.

They were first cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 AD.

The English word 'tomato' comes from the Aztec word, tomatl.

The Latin name for the cultivated tomato is Lycopersicon, or 'wolf peach', no doubt a reflection of the long-held belief that the tomato was poisonous.