Is it a Fruit or Vegetable?
By Jonathan Cox
To-may-to or to-mah-to?
Catsup or ketchup?
Healthy or poisonous?
The poor tomato just can’t escape contention and controversy.
As a member of the portentously named nightshade family, which includes poisonous plants like belladonna and jimson weed alongside such kitchen-table staples as potatoes and peppers, tomatoes were once thought to be deadly. Rumor has it that the British tried to kill George Washington with them, and they have been known to be lethal for more than a few comedy routines.
While countless pizzas and BLTs have proven them not to be fatal to humans, the tomato plant is actually poisonous. The stem and leaves are toxic, and the tomato fruit (yes, it is a fruit — a berry, to be exact) contains traces of alkaloids that may be harmful to those with a hypersensitivity to them. But for the majority of the population, researchers are finding that tomatoes, whose peak season runs from July to September, actually promote good health.
