Now that the fresh tomatoes are finally coming in, we’re in seventh heaven using them every way we can. Whenever we put tomatoes in a cooked dish, we find that we gain sweet flavors, but lose that the super fresh, bright tomato flavor that we love. Tomato leaves might just be the answer.
In On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee explains that tomato leaves contain certain enzymes and oils that give them a very strong “fresh tomato” aroma. Adding just a few of the leaves to a pot of pasta sauce or a batch of soup in the last few minutes of cooking boosts the fresh flavors and aromas back up, similar to adding basil. (And no, McGee also explains that tomato leaves aren’t toxic.)
We’re not growing our own tomatoes this year, so we’ll have to nab some from a neighbor’s garden next time we have a chance.
Have any of you tried this flavor boosting trick?
Related: Tip from Gourmet: Crush Tomatoes with a Box Grater
(Image: Flickr member GenBug licensed under Creative Commons)
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I believe that tomato leaves can actually be poisonous in certain quantities. Don't think I'd do this.
Yeah, JeffDe is right. Tomato leaves, stems, and unripe fruit contain tomatine, which is poisonous. The levels are really low, so it's probably not that dangerous. Still, I dunno....
Harold McGee actually looked into belief that tomato leaves are poisonous and found it to be largely unfounded. Apparently, there's more evidence of tomatine's health benefits than its ill-effects! Who knew?! Check out the article he wrote for the New York Times:
Accused, Yes, But Probably Not a Killer
Huh, I was always under the impression that tomato leaves were poisonous, too! Members of the nightshade family and whatnot. You learn something new every day.
Yeesh, I would NEVER eat tomato leaves. I too have been taught that they are poisonous. Tomatoes and other popular vegetables (like peppers, eggplant, potatoes, etc.) are members of the deadly nightshade family, I believe, and their foliage is extremely toxic. At least, that's what I've been taught.
I hear on an NPR food show that yes, while tomato leaves contain a toxin, our bodies have a buffer of some sort that blocks our ability to metabolize it, so we just poop it out. Or something like that.
My mom is a tomato expert and owns a well-known heirloom tomato seed company. She has advanced degrees in horticulture.
Her verdict: they're toxic. Don't eat them.
Come on, guys.
Yes, pretty much everyone who has any opinion on the subject says that tomato leaves are toxic. The point of this post and the McGee article referenced above is that there is evidence that that belief is not necessarily correct. I wouldn't recommend that anyone rely on food blogs as a guide to plant toxicity, but it's not helpful to just contradict the message of the post without actually addressing the reasoning undergirding it.
toxic or not, gross!
Thanks for an interesting post! I went and read the McGee article (both pages of it) and found it incredibly fascinating. Definitely food for thought!
Two or three leaves in a whole pot of pasta is not going to hurt anyone, and no one is debating whether they're toxic or not, the point is that it's okay for the fact that we don't metabolize the toxin. Thanks, A27182
I made sauce last night and decided to try this and guess what? I think it works. Thanks! My new super secret tip.