Hello and welcome to Not a Vegetarian. I’m Jack Faulkner, and every week I share a different story and recipe from my culinary journey as I muddle my way through the world of food.
For my fellow buddies in the Northern Hemisphere, unless you live in an underground cave, you’ve probably noticed that it’s the end of summer and that we’re rapidly hurtling on to autumn. Considering the heat we’ve had in Europe this year, it’s probably a good thing, but I’m not letting it go until I share one of my favourite summery dishes - the humble bruschetta.
So, if you’re in the mood for something red and summery, which I realise sounds like a terrible double entendre, be sure to continue reading and subscribe to receive all my rambles in your inbox every Saturday lunchtime.
Last week, I got a comment on my post from
who asked the following very sensible question:
Today, I want to answer that.
Tomatoes have really taken over the world and now appear in almost every cuisine, from Italian to Mexican, Spanish to French, and even Ethiopian to Korean. (Although not Japanese. I can’t find a single Japanese dish with tomatoes. If you know one, please let me know!)
According to YouGov, 89% of Brits like them and eat them regularly (but according to the same poll, only 99% have ever heard of them), and a tomato-y dish can be found in most restaurants.
So what’s it like when you hate them?
Very difficult, as it turns out.
A childhood without tomatoes
What meal reminds you of your childhood? We all have different ones. For me, it’s the classic pasta, pizza, and casserole. (Mr Kipling as well, but that’s not relevant to the article.) That’s a lot of tomatoes. So how could I hate them?
I was quite happy to eat these cooked tomato dishes as a kid, and I enjoyed them a lot. However, disaster struck when I was ever made to eat raw tomatoes.
There was just something about that strange texture I could not stand. And the flavour as well… it still makes me feel sick now. But I have learnt, if only a little bit, that raw tomatoes can actually be good.
A transformational meal… and a stomach bug
After my happy childhood of avoiding raw tomatoes as if my life depended on it, I stopped making myself eat them. But I was fed up of all the tomato-lovers around me happily eating their red balls of acidic slime without me. I wanted to eat tomatoes again.
It’s easy to say that, but the actual reality is a lot different.
A few months ago, before I resolved to love tomatoes, I was in a restaurant not feeling particularly great. I wasn’t hungry for anything at all, so I just ordered the first thing off the menu to not be rude - and that just so happened to be a bruschetta.
My fragile, fevered brain didn’t stop to process that bruschetta involved raw tomatoes, so when the plate arrived, I nearly fell out of my chair.
Since my stomach already felt like I was adrift on a medieval ship in an Arctic storm, I figured I had nothing to lose. I took a bite.
I braced myself to feel sick… but I didn’t. They were tomatoes, undeniably - but I didn’t hate them.
At that moment, I realised two things:
A) Not all tomatoes are equally terrible.
B) You shouldn’t eat bruschetta when you’re feeling sick.
I’m not a racist, I’m just talking about skin colours
After recovering from the illness, I realised that, contrary to humans, not all skin colours are created equal.
Before that meal, I never even realised that tomatoes had different colours. I was so used to hating the ordinary red versions that I never really bothered to explore any other types.
I realised that most people are blind to the wonders of different tomato colours, so I decided to try and track down some of the different tomato varieties in ordinary supermarkets.
I would say the results may shock you, but they probably won’t. In fact, it’s quite a mundane anecdote, really.
The results
I found that there’s a limited selection of unusually-coloured varieties of tomato that you can buy. In fact, I only found about two products.
From Waitrose and Ocado, you can buy a can of chopped yellow tomatoes. They’re fantastic in soups and sauces, but you can’t really eat them raw.
I also found that around tomato season, around July to September, supermarkets tend to offer random selection boxes of heritage tomatoes. It’s a bit of pot luck as per which types you get, but it’s guaranteed to be a lot more disappointing than what the online picture seems to suggest.
If you’re living other than the UK, I’m afraid to say that I can’t help you, but if you do happen to have eaten some cool tomatoes in your country or know where to get them, please put a comment below.
Anyway, since realising that tomatoes can actually be quite nice, I’ve started re-integrating them into my diet. Today, I’m sharing one of my favourite recipes that uses them in their full glory - my adapted bruschetta. It’s simple, light, fresh, and above all else, tasty, so if you’re not in the mood for something heavy, give this a go!
A good bruschetta should be ridiculously simple and let the wonderful flavour of the tomatoes take centre stage. Because they are the main part of this dish, you really need to go the extra mile to buy excellent tomatoes. I’d recommend a balance of different colours and sizes to balance the flavour.
Ingredients
About 10-15 different heritage tomatoes (don’t be boring)
4 slices of sourdough
4tsp garlic paste
4tsp extra virgin olive oil
4tsp balsamic vinegar
30g extra mature cheddar or gruyère
8 leaves of basil
Method
Slice and chop the tomatoes as desired for a balance of textures.
Spread the olive oil on the sourdough slices, followed by the garlic paste.
Pile the tomatoes onto the bread evenly. It’s best to start by layering the slice first and then adding the chopped ones.
Drizzle on the balsamic vinegar and sprinkle on the grated cheddar.
Bake for about 10 minutes at 180°C.
Place the basil on top.
Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Not a Vegetarian. Now, I’d like to hear from you. Do you hate tomatoes? Do you know where to get some unusual varieties or really good ones? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!
And as always, if you’ve enjoyed this article, please subscribe to receive all of my rants and stories in your inbox every Saturday.
Next week, I’ve finally cracked and bought an air fryer. I’m going to be giving my honest feedback after all the hype online, including one thing that I think it’s really good for.
See you then!
Your title attracted me, but I was still surprised by it at the same time.
Who can possibly hate tomatoes?
I love them since my very young age. I eat them like an apple and love them since then.
I live in Italy and you can imagine what tomatoes means in this country. 😉😊
I love tomatoes , they’re my favourite food , so I was a little apprehensive about reading your article. My doubts were soon dispelled and I can’t wait to try out the bruschetta recipe. By the way I have tried those tinned yellow tomatoes, they’re delicious. My grandson uses them to make his show stopping tomato and basil soup.