On June 28, 1820, an inconspicuous, but revolutionary event occurred. It has been proven that tomatoes do not make those who eat them crazy.

It is sometimes very difficult to imagine what path things take before they become so ordinary and familiar to us that we do not attach much importance to them. Now it’s funny to think that less than two centuries ago the tomato was considered a poisonous plant. In the 18th century, the book “A Complete Guide to Gardening” was published in Europe, in which the following was literally written about tomatoes: “ Its fruits are extremely harmful, as they drive those who eat them crazy .”

Distrust of the tomato came to Europe from the Spaniards and Portuguese, who actually brought it from America. Having awarded the unknown vegetable with a beautiful name - the Italian pomme d'oro - golden apple and the French pomme d'amour - love apple, Europeans used it only as an ornamental plant: they grew it in pots, planted arbors, but never ate it. Echoes of this attitude towards a useful product have survived to this day. Every year in Spain - where people are generally eager for all sorts of holidays - residents organize “tomato fights” in the streets. All day long, hot Spaniards and Spaniards chase each other, trying to throw a tomato at their unwary friend. Especially for this purpose, the government this year allocated 120 thousand tons of tomatoes worth nine thousand euros.

The fate of the tomato in Russia - where potatoes have long been considered poisonous - cannot be called easy either. Unlike the romantic French, Russian peasants did not see any resemblance to an apple, much less a “love” apple, in the vegetable of the nightshade family. It is not clear what exact associations the overseas product evoked among our ancestors, but they began to call it “dog,” or, at worst, “mad berry.”

Andrei Timofeevich Bolotov saved the tomato - just as he saved the potato in his time. In the article “About love apples,” he completely rehabilitated the “dogs”: “ The food, the seemingly round, smooth and very beautiful apples, the color of red, as if wax or carnelian, and sometimes a yellowish color, can be consumed without fear. The eater easily gets used to the special taste and smell of which .”

If George Washington's cook James Bestley had known about this, the tragicomic story of the assassination attempt on the future president would not have happened. During the Revolutionary War in the United States, Bestley, sent by the British, tried to poison George Washington with tomatoes. The treacherous, traitorous cook presented Washington with a dish richly seasoned with “the red fleshy fruits of a poisonous plant.” Having fed the commander-in-chief of the American army, the insidious cook began to write a report: “ The job is done! In a couple of hours the general will not be alive - he will die in the arms of his orderly .”

However, the general not only did not die at that same hour, but also lived for many more years - scientists have proven that tomatoes prolong youth and reduce the risk of cancer. But Batsley was not destined to be convinced of this - apparently, tomatoes drive some people crazy: “ I have fulfilled my duty and now I can complete the last tasks. I do not want to wait for the inevitable punishment and intend to take my own life. I chose a reliable method: a kitchen knife, which I use well, suits me better than rope or poison ,” he wrote at the end of his report and went to his forefathers.

Nowadays, almost no healthy salad can do without a tomato, but genetic memory still makes itself felt, otherwise would people throw rotten tomatoes at stupid artists?

MAD BERRY FOR THE PRESIDENT