The Invention of the Cherry Tomato

For a long time, I have accepted the widely publicized "fact" that Israeli scientists invented the cherry tomato. In today's Ha'aretz newspaper from Israel I read that I've been misled. The Israelis didn't invent the cherry tomato -- it's been around for centuries. Claims about its Israeli origin were amplified for propaganda reasons. The bottom line:

"The truth is that Israeli researchers developed modern varieties of the cherry tomato, which has become a commercial product found all over the world, mainly thanks to its long shelf life. Until the 1980s miniature tomatoes were a marginal crop used in dishes mainly as decoration."

Here are links to articles that explain what's real and how the exaggerated claim was propagated:

• Popular article in Ha'aretz -- "No, Cherry Tomatoes Aren't an Israeli Invention: Why Israeli cuisine is so successful in the United States and Europe - while Israelis themselves prefer pasta and pizza" by Ronit Vered (December 5, 2017).

• Long and very scholarly article in Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies -- "Seeding Controversy: Did Israel Invent the Cherry Tomato?" by Anna Wexler (Summer, 2016).

Caesar salad at an Israeli restaurant: with cherry tomatoes.

I was interested to read these two articles putting things in perspective, and exploring the topic of Israeli self-promotion.