Why do Americans eat so many tomatoes?

Consumption of tomatoes in the United States is second only to potatoes. Because of their nutrient density and widespread consumption, tomatoes were highlighted in the 2010 US Department of Agriculture Food Pattern’s red and orange vegetable subgroup, with the goal of making vegetable intake more achievable.

Why are Dutch tomatoes tasteless?

The given reason is always economics; the Dutch were paid the lowest price per kilo out of all EU countries. While some good tomatoes are produced for both export and for domestic consumption, “the taste is not always good,” explains Leo Marcelis, a professor of horticulture at Wageningen University and Research.

Why are American tomatoes so big?

Although this was centuries before people knew anything about genes, mutation and heredity, farmers in Mesoamerica (where tomatoes likely were first cultivated) knew that planting seeds from this particular plant might give them larger tomatoes. And that’s exactly what they did.

Why do supermarket tomatoes taste so bad?

When people bite into a tomato, its sugars and acids activate taste receptors, and a diverse set of volatile (airborne) compounds activates smell-related receptors in the nose. The absence of volatiles could partly explain why store-bought tomatoes are so tasteless, the researchers wrote in the study.

Why are English tomatoes tasteless?

“They’re just kind of tasteless because they haven’t developed the sugars, they haven’t developed the acids.” Left to ripen on the vine, a truly ripe tomato – when it is at its most flavourful – is much softer to the touch than the taut, fit-to-burst tomatoes we’re used to.

What is the most eaten vegetable in America?

Potatoes
In 2019, 49.4 pounds of potatoes per person and 31.4 pounds of tomatoes per person were available for consumption after adjusting for losses.