Nutrition color of tomatoes says nothing about the taste

Be it in a salad, as an ingredient for a sauce or in soup: tomatoes are almost indispensable in German cuisine. Vegetable lovers prefer to grab loud red tomatoes. This is usually associated with a particularly full aroma. But the color does not say anything about the taste.

300 types of tomatoes in the yard
Although there are thousands of different varieties, in vegetable trays of German supermarkets are usually only a handful of different tomato varieties. The offer is usually roughly distinguished in vine tomatoes, beef tomatoes, egg tomatoes and small cherry or cocktail tomatoes. The vegetable farmer Gerd Sundermeyer from Wendhausen (circle Hildesheim) explained in a message of the news agency dpa: "at the moment there are crisp, sweet fruit tomatoes." Around 300 different kinds are cultivated on his yard.

The color of tomatoes usually says nothing about the actual taste. Image: PhotoSG - fotolia

Color does not say about the taste
For example, the "Black Cherry", a black cherry tomato with a sugar-sweet taste, is growing there. Another variety is the "pineapple tomato". This is large and has a yellow-red marbled pulp. However, according to Sundermeyer, the color of a tomato says nothing about the taste. From discoloration but you can draw conclusions. For example, dark spots on tomatoes indicate a calcium deficiency. And you can tell from the color, if the tomato is really ripe.

Do not eat unripe tomatoes
Consumers should not consume unripe tomatoes. If rotfleischige tomatoes are still green, they contain the poisonous substance Solanin. The consumer information service has pointed this out. Depending on the amount absorbed, this substance may cause discomfort such as headache, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, as well as scratching and burning in the throat. Solanine can even be fatal in a high dose of three to six milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Children, in particular, should not eat unripe tomatoes. After the death of a 79-year-old man from Baden-Württemberg who died after eating a courgette from his garden, health experts had warned the public and told them how to identify solanine or other potentially deadly bitter substances.

Store tomatoes properly
However, immature red tomatoes should not be confused with greenish cultivars, which whiten quite easily yellowish-green. It should be noted, however, that they also contain much solanine in their immature state. Especially in leaves and stems of the plant this substance is included, which protects them from pests. No matter which varieties you choose, you should not store tomatoes too close to other fruits and vegetables. They mature and release the natural ripening gas ethylene. As a result, for example, cucumbers can quickly become soft. Ideal is a dark and airy storage. (Ad)