You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato

Jerry and I both say toeMAYtoe and not toeMAHtoe. Here in Spain we have learned to say tomate (toeMAHtay). Then, last week, Jerry bought Kumato Tomates — which in English could be KooMAHtoe ToeMAHtoe or KooMAYtoe ToeMAYtoe. Or even KooMAHtoe ToeMAYtoe or KooMAYtoe ToeMAHtoe. In Spanish, it's pronounced KooMAHtoe ToeMAHtay. Well, obviously, my brain went into a tailspin.

The tailspin was worth it. Kumatos (Spanish pronunciation) are delicious.

OUR FIRST KUMATO.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME?

The lowdown, with thanks to Wikipedia for much of this information: The Kumato is a trade name given to the variety of tomato developed in Spain called "Olmeca." It's now grown in Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Canada, and Mexico. Its size and shape is just like a standard tomato, but the color is reddish brown and it's got a higher fructose content, which makes it much sweeter (deliciously sweet) than a typical tomato. The Kumato is considered a gourmet tomato and has a much longer shelf life than the traditional tomato.

Syngenta, the company that developed the Kumato, has said they will never make Kumato seeds available to the general public, selling the seeds only to licensed growers that go through a rigorous selection process. But no one is stopping you from taking the seeds and growing your own Kumatos at home. That, I know, is what My Mother The Dowager Duchess would do.

COMING SOON: The Christmas Lights of Sevilla