Learn more about history with this collection
Leonardo da Vinci's creative process
How to approach problem-solving like da Vinci
The importance of curiosity and observation
In the late 1700s, Europeans thought tomatoes were poisonous. Aristocrats got sick and died after eating them. It was later discovered that the pewter plates used by wealthy Europeans were high in lead content. The high acidity of tomatoes would leach lead from the plate, resulting in death from lead poisoning.
In 1597, the tomato was classified as deadly nightshade where the whole plant was toxic. This view prevailed in Britain and the British North American colonies for over 200 years.
50
2K reads
MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Tomatoes were also thought to be eaten in hotter countries, like in Mesoamerica, where the tomato originates from.
The Aztecs ate tomatoes and called it the 'tomatl', but it wasn't grown in Britain until the 1590s, and then only for ornamental purposes. The tomato slowly be...
39
356 reads
Once the fear of the tomato plant subsided, farmers began exploring different varieties. By 1897, innovator Joseph Campbell found a way to can tomatoes and popularised condensed tomato soup.
Today, a variety of tomatoes are grown, such as heirlooms, romas and cherry tomatoes. Over a half-bi...
36
276 reads
By the 1830s, the love apple was cultivated in New York, but a new fear emerged. A tomato worm, thick-bodied, three or four inches long with a horn on its back. It was believed that brushing against the worm could result in death. One Dr Fuller in New York said it was "poisonous ...
38
244 reads
CURATED FROM
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving & library
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Personalized recommendations
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates