4) Want to learn more of the tomato's history in Italy? Some say that they were brought back from Central America by Spanish Conquistadors, while another legend suggests that two Jesuit priests brought them to Italy from Mexico. What was Roman/Early Middle Ages food like in Italy? The Tomato, obviously, came from the New World, so was unknown prior to Columbus. CHN 375W. No, tomatoes came from the Americas and were brought back to Europe by the early explorers. 3 Answers. They were first cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 AD. The history of tomatoes in Chinese and Italian cuisine is a surprisingly short but still interesting one. The English word 'tomato' comes from the Aztec word, tomatl. Favorite Answer . How did the tomato, an Aztec fruit, become the staple of Italian cookery? Wiki states "The recorded history of tomatoes in Italy dates back to 31 October 1548", but says nothing about how it came … Did Tomatoes come from Italy? ~Nellino Alvin (Jun Young) Choi. A Bit of Tomato History The tomato plant did not arrive to Italy until about halfway through the 1500s. His house steward presented a basket to “their excellencies” that had been sent to him. Then pick up a copy of David Gentilcuore's Pomodoro: A History of the Tomato in Italy. Italians ate pretty much what the rest of Mediterranean eats. The English word 'tomato' comes from the Aztec word, tomatl. Or even anywhere in the Old World. The date that the tomato first traveled to Europe is not known. History of tomatoes would not be complete without this info The Latin Name for the tomato is Lysopersicon Esculentum (eventually renamed to Solanum Lycopersicum). Wiki User May 28, 2011 2:22PM. SAVE CANCEL. And before you go, click here to read about my family's incredible story using tomatoes for a very special dish in the small town of Carife in southern Italy. Did Tomatoes come from Italy? But what really did the tomato in, according to Smith’s research, was John Gerard’s publication of Herball in 1597 which drew heavily from the agricultural works of Dodoens and l’Ecluse (1553). No, tomatoes came from the Americas and were brought back to Europe by the early explorers. Did Tomatoes come from Italy? The tomato, for instance, is a South America plant that eventually migrated to Europe after contact. It is not indigenous to Italy, or Europe for that matter. It made sense to call a tomato a golden apple in the 16th century, even if it doesn't make much sense today, because of linguistic, scientific and mythological associations that no longer hold. No, tomatoes came from the Americas and were brought back to Europe by the early explorers.