The Tomato - Flavor, Beauty, and Enjoyment in One

Round and bright red – this is how we have always known the tomato (_Solanum lycopersicum_). Few fruit vegetables are as diverse as the aromatic Southern beauty, with around 2,500 registered varieties worldwide. You can choose between oval, elongated, bottle-shaped, heart-shaped, or pear-shaped, ribbed or corrugated, bright yellow, orange, green, chocolate brown, and striped varieties – and fall into a true tomato frenzy.

Sun-ripened in your own garden and freshly picked from the bush, tomatoes are a culinary delight that's hard to beat. But the delicious nightshade plant doesn't just pamper our taste buds; it also boosts our health. Since tomatoes are made up of 95 percent water, they support a light, low-calorie diet. They contain many vitamins (B1, B2, B6, C, and E) as well as various trace elements and minerals like potassium and the carotenoid lycopene, which fights free radicals and protects cells.

The new Cherry bush tomato 'Brillantino' is extremely productive, while 'Green Zebra' stands out with its green-yellow stripes, and 'Chocolate Cherry' impresses with its dark chocolate-brown color. The dark red, pear-shaped fruits of the cocktail tomato 'Red Pear' are a feast for the eyes. Another visual highlight is the productive brown-red chocolate tomato 'Sacher.' Gourmets swear by the fruity, juicy sweet beefsteak tomato 'Belriccio' and the sweet, deeply ribbed oxheart tomato 'Aurea.'

Breeders are also focusing more on resilience and resistance to diseases. For example, the striped cocktail tomato 'Zebrino' withstands cold, wet weather, while 'Bolzano' fends off velvet spot disease. The early variety 'Philona' has high resistance to late blight, brown spots, and powdery mildew, while the egg tomato 'Roma' is resistant to common soil diseases.

Wild species and old varieties are making a comeback and are being cultivated again. For instance, the bright yellow 'Goldene Königin' has been available since 1884, and 'Tigerella,' with its red-gold striped fruits and tangy flavor, is a historic variety. The wild tomato 'Golden Currant' produces a wealth of small, juicy sweet yellow fruits well into the autumn.