{ "items": [ { "type": [ "h-feed" ], "properties": {}, "children": [ { "type": [ "h-entry" ], "properties": { "name": [ "The Tomato in England Why it took 130 years to take off" ], "published": [ "15 June 2026" ], "content": [ { "html": "

\"Part

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:18 \u2014 23.3MB)

Subscribe: Spotify | Android | RSS | More

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\"AThe first record of tomatoes growing in England dates to the 1590s (though Wales has a slightly earlier claim). It isn\u2019t until the 1720s, however, that recipes for their preparation start to appear. The delay has been blamed on fear of foods from outisde Europe, on the humoral theory, on piety and superstition, and probably lots of other factors too. While all those explanations have obvious attractions, the reality is much more prosaic than that.

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Dr Serin Quinn tracked the true history of the tomato in England and found that temperature and technology, along with religious persecution, are much more convincing.

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Notes

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  1. Serin Quinn\u2019s paper on The Tomato-Chili Nexus: Reconstructing the Mesoamerican Influence on Europe through Taste and Method was my introduction to her work.
    2. \n
  2. As mentioned, you may also find Rebecca Earle on The true history of the potato in Europe an interesting listen.
    3. \n
  3. Here is the transcript.
    4. \n
  4. Cover image lifted from The Gardener\u2019s Chronicle, banner from Hortus Eystettensis, 1640, at Wikimedia
    5. \n
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\"huffduffer Huffduff it

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t", "value": "Part of a 1640 copper-plate etching of a large, red tomato showing fruits and leaves. https://media.blubrry.com/eatthispodcast/op3.dev/e/mange-tout.hel1.your-objectstorage.com/2026/tomato-england.mp3\nPodcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:18 \u2014 23.3MB)\nSubscribe: Spotify | Android | RSS | More\nA woman with light brown shoulder-length hair and brown glasses is looking directly into the camera. The first record of tomatoes growing in England dates to the 1590s (though Wales has a slightly earlier claim). It isn\u2019t until the 1720s, however, that recipes for their preparation start to appear. The delay has been blamed on fear of foods from outisde Europe, on the humoral theory, on piety and superstition, and probably lots of other factors too. While all those explanations have obvious attractions, the reality is much more prosaic than that.\nDr Serin Quinn tracked the true history of the tomato in England and found that temperature and technology, along with religious persecution, are much more convincing. Notes Serin Quinn\u2019s paper on The Tomato-Chili Nexus: Reconstructing the Mesoamerican Influence on Europe through Taste and Method was my introduction to her work. As mentioned, you may also find Rebecca Earle on The true history of the potato in Europe an interesting listen. Here is the transcript. Cover image lifted from The Gardener\u2019s Chronicle, banner from Hortus Eystettensis, 1640, at Wikimedia\nhuffduffer icon \u00a0 \u00a0Huffduff it" } ] } }, { "type": [ "h-entry" ], "properties": { "name": [ "More Sustainable School Meals Children barely notice when you sneak in sustainable lunches" ], "summary": [ "Sweden offers some lessons on meals better for the health of pupils and the planet" ], "url": [ "https://eatthispodcast.com/schoolfood/" ], "published": [ "1 June 2026" ] } }, { "type": [ "h-entry" ], "properties": { "name": [ "Hipster Baristas and Chinese Espresso Nothing stays the same in the world of espresso, in Italy and around the world" ], "summary": [ "The hipster barista and the Chinese-owned bar both shed light on the changing nature of Italian coffee culture." ], "url": [ "https://eatthispodcast.com/espresso/" ], "published": [ "18 May 2026" ] } }, { "type": [ "h-entry" ], "properties": { "name": [ "Collards: A Moroccan Mystery What are collard greens doing in oases on the edge of the Sahara?" ], "summary": [ "Abderrahim Ouarghidi was born and raised in Morocco, but until the day he and his wife Bronwen Powell found them during fieldwork, he had never seen collard greens there." ], "url": [ "https://eatthispodcast.com/collards/" ], "published": [ "4 May 2026" ] } }, { "type": [ "h-entry" ], "properties": { "name": [ "Geopolitics, Food, and Agriculture A plea for agricultural economists to pay attention to security" ], "summary": [ "\u201cFood has long served as an instrument of statecraft. Yet agricultural economics typically \u2026 neglects security externalities.\u201d" ], "url": [ "https://eatthispodcast.com/geopolitics/" ], "published": [ "20 April 2026" ] } } ] }, { "type": [ "h-entry" ], "properties": { "name": [ "Is histamine intolerance a thing?" ], "summary": [ "Marieke Hendriksen, in our recent conversation, told me how her... Read more \u2192" ], "url": [ "https://eatthispodcast.com/histamine/" ] } }, { "type": [ "h-entry" ], "properties": { "name": [ "Fish names are hard" ], "summary": [ "\u201cAn anchovy, to get to an important point, is a... Read more \u2192" ], "url": [ "https://eatthispodcast.com/sardines/" ] } }, { "type": [ "h-entry" ], "properties": { "name": [ "A quinoa dilemma" ], "summary": [ "Quinoa is not a staple at our house. I like... 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