Post by Tom Wagner on Aug 21, 2008 18:53:57 GMT -8
Tomato Tasting Takes Brains, Tomato Breeder Finds
Posted by Tom_Wagner (thoswagner@aol.com) on Thu, May 29, 03 at 16:25
Tomato Tasting Takes Brains, Tomato Breeder Finds
Folsom (Somewhere along the American River)
Tomato-tasting requires much more than a perfect palate and a fruity vocabulary -- you have to use your brains.
That's the finding of a study undertaken by tomato breeder Tom Wagner in Folsom, Ca.
"I wanted to find out whether there was a difference at brain level between a trained and an untrained person eating tomatoes," said Wagner, a plant breeder of tomatoes and potatoes, during his presentation at the Tomato Academy in Folsom Thursday.
"What I found is that the training does more than just educate your palate, it also affects how your brain responds to the taste of tomatoes."
Wagner related how researchers in other studies conducted brain scans on expert wine drinkers versus casual drinkers while they tasted wines.
Apparently, the scans showed, for both groups, identical activity in the amygdala, the brain tissue that reacts to sensations of pleasure.
Amazingly, the expert wine tasters displayed a flurry of activity in parts of their frontal cortexes, the brain used for thinking, while the casual drinkers showed little or no reaction in the frontal cortex.
Wagner continues, �The extrapolation is simple. Two groups can be asked to pay very close attention to tomatoes that they tasting, and I expect both the expert and the amateur to be thinking. Even if both groups have the sensory aspects in regards to tasting, the taste of tomatoes will likely trigger a rational, quasi-intellectual response in the expert.�
The Tomato Academy is offering the ramifications that prove the reasoning, the intellectual effort and gift that break down the wide ranges of tastes of a tomato that affects the ability to assess the full flavor. Just as a sommelier in wine can be the expert, Wagner is suggesting a new word for the expert tomato taster: TOMMALIER. �It�s not that Tommaliers are necessarily superior beings, it�s totally in the training and the experience!� Wagner says with a straight face. In order to be perhaps a bit hoity-toity or pretentious, he pronounces it taw-mah-LYAY. Just as the French term, sommelier, is a steward of waiter in charge of wine, the TOMMALIER will for hundreds of years, be responsible for the gathering and serving of tomatoes to loyal subjects. If you ask something like, �Est-ce que vous etes ivre?� don�t expect an answer.
Eating tomatoes is easy. Talking about tomatoes can be hard. Finding words to describe sensations in your nose and mouth is difficult for anyone, but it's an important skill to develop if you want to learn about tomatoes. Otherwise, you may find it problematic to explain your preferences and share your tomato experiences, good, bad, or indifferent.
It's true that each tomato taster has his/her own personal response to each tomato he/she tries. Yet experienced tasters may agree on the meaning of certain terms, which gives them a common vocabulary. Some terms are familiar to anybody with taste buds: sweet and sour, for example. Others may sound strange to beginning tasters, yet they're among the most basic tomato descriptors. You may have to use these specialized words -and "yum" and "yuck" as these are pretty useful too - they can help if you're trying to communicate your impressions to someone else.
The laziest way to learn the lingo is to get close to people who know about tomatoes. However, not too close! Take advantage of the free or inexpensive tastings at farmers� markets and listen to what people say. Even if you aren't participating in the conversation, you'll be able to compare your impressions to the comments of TOMMALIERS or from less experienced tasters.
The tomato is one of life's greatest pleasures. Forget the old saying that "a little learning is a dangerous thing." When it comes to tomatoes, a little knowledge is all you need. Many tomato experts (Tommaliers) would argue that the more tomato knowledge you possess, the more you can appreciate the delicacies and fine nuances of tomatoes, but I'll leave that up to you.
Tomato-tasting
There's eating tomatoes and tasting tomatoes, the latter being a more serious (but enjoyable) endeavor. The primary objective of a tomato tasting is to analyze the tomato to determine its quality. The most simple, straightforward approach is to assess whether a tomato tastes good. Dedicated tomato-tasters (who vary in their seriousness) have more exacting criteria, however. There are few guidelines on how to taste tomatoes formally, such as using the proper equipment, like white tablecloths, plates, having the tomatoes at the right temperature, displaying of the fruits, if necessary, and so on. The tasting process itself involves three basic steps, all of which have their own nuances: examining the tomato's appearance, smelling the cut tomato, and tasting it. Examining the tomato's appearance generally consists of tilting and turning the fruit slightly away from you over a white background so the tomato's color and brilliance is obvious. Next, the fruit's appearance tells an experienced tomato-taster several things including how it's ripening (whether it may be past its prime) and possible quality. Smelling the tomato generally consists of slicing the fruit to release its aroma and/or bouquet and then putting your nose just above the fruit and inhaling gently. If you don't get much aroma from the fruit, cover the top of the cut fruit with one palm and swirl again, quickly remove your palm just before you smell the tomato. Because smell and taste have a symbiotic relationship, just smelling the fruit can reveal much of its character. The first hint of a delightful tomato will be perceived through the sense of smell. By the final step of tasting the tomato, a number of clues about it will already have been revealed. TOMMALIERS suck in a little air as they take slice of tomato into their mouth. This technique aerates the fruit (which brings out the flavor) but also creates a slurping noise. Yes, I am a slurper! Other tasters "chew" or slosh the fruit around in their mouth. Both procedures are intended to expose the tomato's full flavors while bringing the olfactory senses into play.
In blind tastings, the tasters do not know the identity of the tomatoes. This is done so that knowledge of the tomato's origin doesn't influence the TAMMALIER�S opinion. In some blind tastings, participants will know what variety of tomatoes are being tasted, but not which grower they're from. For example, a group in a blind tasting might know that the tomatoes are all California Brandywines or Green Zebras from the 2003 vintage or that the California and North Carolina Green Grapes are being compared. In other blind tastings, the participants are told the various tomatoes' identities (such as six OTV Brandywines from six named growers), but they don't know which plate which tomato is on.
Part of the fun and educational value of a blind tasting is learning how to determine the regional traits of tomatoes and, eventually, those of the individual growers. Occasionally, there are double blind tastings where different varietal tomatoes are tasted together. This adds the challenge of trying to ascertain the varietal character of each variety, in addition to where it's from. A horizontal tasting is one where all the tomatoes are from the same variety but from different growers. In a vertical tasting tomatoes are from different (often contiguous) years but from the same grower. For example, a vertical tasting could include the 1982, 1984, 1993, and 2003 crops of Banana Legs. The idea of a vertical tasting is to try to identify traits that exist in the same tomato year after year. Obviously tomatoes are not wines, so one must conduct the tastings each year or compile data already on file.
For tomato-tasters and this particular TOMMALIER, one may wish to pick tomatoes that are picked farther down the vine, closer to the soil. Tomato flavor can be influenced by location on the vine. This TOMMALIER, Tom Wagner, suggests cutting the fruit crossways through the fruit, rather than from the stem-end to the bottom or in quarters.
There can be numerous descriptors used for tomato tasting. Knowing these terms is certainly not a requirement for enjoying tomatoes. But knowledge of tomato terminology will help you better understand tomato newsletters, magazine and newspaper articles on tomatoes, tomato reviews, forum messages on Growing Tomatoes, and seed catalog seed lists.
Acidic: tomatoes with a sharp, citric taste
Aftertaste: the taste left in the mouth after you have swallowed the tomato fruit.
Aromatic: tomato varieties that have a spicy character, such as Pineapple.
Bitter: an aftertaste, usually associated with immature fruit.
Body: The feel of the tomato in the mouth. tender medium or hard depending on the firmness
Clean: a tomato free of "off" odors or flavors.
Closed: an unripened fruit not yet expressing its bouquet or flavor.
Crisp: A green-apple freshness, denoting lively acidity.
Dry: a tomato whose sugars have not been totally developed.
Fruity: a tomato with good fruit extract from fully ripened tomatoes.
Hard: the mouth puckering effect of unripe fruit and acidity masking the tomato�s potential flavor.
Herbaceous: a grassy, vegetal taste, especially in tomatoes picked too soon and poorly ripened.
Hot: high alcohol leaving hotness in the throat. Hey, you aren't�t suppose to drink and taste.
Legs: the wet residue left on the side of the mouth; residual sugar.
Musty: an "off" odor caused by dirty storage conditions.
Nose: the bouquet of the wine.
Petrol: a characteristic smell ion in some wild Lycopersicon species.
Short: a tomato with little after taste.
Soft: a well-rounded tomato with mature flavors and little evidence of acidity.
Smoky: As in a Christmas Zebra tomato. If none of this variety is available, try a Black Zebra instead.
Terroir: the total physical conditions surrounding a tomato field: climate, soil, drainage, exposure, etc.
Unbalanced: excess of one or more elements in tomato: fruit, acid, or sugar.
Well balanced: perfect harmony between all the tomato fruit�s elements.
More things to consider about tomato flavor:
� a) Color of the tomato when the fruit is turned or tilted and is viewed against a light source.
� b) Smell - (known in the general sense as the "nose").
� c) Taste - (first in the "mouth" or "palate", followed by the "finish").
Using these perceptions, the tasters attempt to communicate their feelings about the tomato under review to others by descriptive words or phrases. The following glossary is but one attempt to categorize those words/phrases.
Acetic, acidity, aftertaste, age, appely, aroma, ascescence, astringent, attack, attractive, austere, balance, berrylike, big, bouquet, brawny, brix, candy like, charming, chewy, cardboard, citrusy, complex, crisp, delicate, depth, dessert, direct, dirty, dumb, earthy, elegant, essence, extracted, finish, firm, fleshy, floral, forward, foxy, fresh, fruity, full-bodied, funky, gnarly, grapefruity, grassy harsh, hazy, hearty, hollow, jam-like, lean, legs, length, lingering, lively, lush, meager, meaty, mouth-filling, nose, over-ripe, oxidized, perfumed, ponderous, powerful, pruney, puckery, refined, residual sugar, rich, ripe, robust, rough, rustic, sharp, simple, smoky, soft, sour, specific gravity, spicy, structure, sturdy, stylish, supple, sweet, tart, terroir, thin, under-ripe, varietal character, volatile, warm, watery, well-balanced, wine thief, and more.
Reading about tomatoes and their descriptions:
There is one real question about tomato variety hype: �Is the tomato any good?�
Unfortunately, the answer is only submerged beneath enthusiastic marketing waffle.
You may be surprised at the richness of information provided for a particular variety.
There are things that affect flavor.
What you should know:
1. The tomato variety is the best start for flavor. If it is supposed to have flavor, try it.
2. The terroir of the tomato being grown. Soil, climate, and exposure ultimately affect the flavor of the fruit.
3. Region. What State, County, etc.
4. Vintage = year grown.
There are many ways to properly serve tomatoes for tasting. Where can you go to participate in a tomato- tasting and how to act when you are there?
.
Tomato Secrets Revealed
If you are new to the tomato arena, you may be confused by the jargon on tomato seed labels, not confident when ordering seed at an Internet site or making a selection for a special occasion, and unsure what the difference is between a Rose de Berne and a Brandywine. Visit Demystifying Tomatoes to learn about choosing tomatoes and making sense of tomato speak.
The front and back of the tongue contain the taste buds. But, rather than specializing in a particular taste sensation, all taste buds are capable of detecting sweet, sour, bitter and salty flavors, although there may be some slight differences in sensitivity. So that you get the most out of your taste buds, when tomato tasting, swish the fruit around your mouth, which will allow all of your taste buds (and your sense of smell) to participate in the detection of the finer flavors of the tomato.
Smell and Taste
Have you ever tried to detect flavor when you had a terrible cold? Research indicates that 70 to 75% of what we taste is actually due to our sense of smell. Specialized "aroma" nerves in the nose are necessary to identify tastes more subtle than sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Smell and taste go hand-in-hand when tomato tasting.
Tomato Tasting Techniques
Tomato tasting is an art. While tomato tasting can be subjective in nature, TOMMALIERS follow some general "guidelines" when judging a tomato. It's very easy to learn the techniques of tomato tasting, and if you already enjoy tomatoes, learning the nuances will increase the pleasure you derive from tasting.
The three steps in tomato tasting are: Look, Smell, and Taste.
Look
You can tell much about a tomato simply by studying its appearance. The tomato should be held in front of a white background (a tablecloth or piece of paper will serve nicely) so that you can examine the color.
The color of tomatoes varies tremendously, even within the same variety of tomato. Where as time improves many red tomatoes, it ruins others. Red tomatoes are not just red; they range from a pale red to a deep brown red.
Smell
Swirl your tomato slice in your mouth. This releases molecules in the fruit allowing you to smell the aroma, also called the bouquet or nose. The two main techniques that tomato tasters use are:
1.) Take a quick whiff and formulate an initial impression, then take a second deeper whiff or
2.) Take only one deep whiff.
Either way, after you smell the aroma, sit back and contemplate the aroma. Don't try to "taste" the fruit yet, concentrate only on what you smell.
It may be difficult to describe in words when you're a novice, but after trying many tomatoes you will notice similarities and differences. Sometimes a certain smell will be very strong with underlying hints of other smells. Take your time. By labeling an aroma you will probably remember it better. You may even want to keep a notebook of your impressions of tomatoes, and save the seed packets; next time you see the tomato listings you won't have to purchase it to know if you like it . . . or you don't!
Taste
The most important quality of a tomato is its balance between sweetness and acidity. To get the full taste of a tomato follow the following three steps:
1. Initial taste (or first impression): This is where the tomato fruit awakens your senses (your taste buds respond to sensations).
2. Taste: Cut around on the fruit and draw in some air (even if you do look funny in front of your dinner guests). Eat.
3. Aftertaste: The taste that remains in your mouth after you have swallowed the tomato. How long did the taste last? Was it pleasant?
After tasting the tomato, take a moment to value its overall flavor and balance. Is the taste appropriate for that variety of tomato? If the tomato is very bland, is it supposed to be?
Some serious tomato connoisseurs assign a point score to tomatoes to determine its quality. While this method can be useful, it is in no way necessary to determine a quality tomato. The more different tomatoes you try, and the more attention you pay to each variety, the better you will become at ascertaining and describing each variety�s characteristics.
Body Count
Invite only the number of tasters that can fit comfortably in your home or Farmers� Market. A crowd around the tasting table can be intimidating and guests should not feel rushed when slicing a piece of tomato.
Water
For those guests that get thirsty have bottled water on hand; also good for those that want to rinse their mouths between wines. I am not going to tell you where to spit the water.
Food and Wine
Unsalted water crackers or bread should be provided for palate cleansing during the tasting. Provide the stronger foods for after the tomato tasting.
For the Guest
Handling a Tomato
The proper way to hold any style tomato is by the stem. Wink! This keeps fingerprints off the fruit and keeps your hand from heating the tomato.
Perfume and Cologne
Avoid wearing scent to a tomato tasting event. I am trying to find tomatoes that make flavor, not tomatoes on the make!
Lighting Up
Smoking at or just before a tomato tasting will affect the taste of your tomatoes.
Mints and Gum
Gum and breath mints will alter the taste of tomato. Rinse your mouth well with water before beginning a tasting.
Comments
If you have negative comments about a tomato, keep them to yourself, particularly when at an heirloom tasting display. You can always relate later. Your comments affect others, you know. You smile at each other at these events, raising the tomato to your mouth, expecting nirvana�. and a bland odor wafts up your nose. Undaunted, you take a bite�and the blandness nearly causes you to gag. The mood is tainted like bad wine.
What are you missing?
If you tend to stick to the tried and tested or confine yourself to the "special tomato seed trade" offers, or perhaps a certain variety available in your locale, you are missing out on a wonderful experience of delicious and rewarding flavors. Don't worry! A few basic guidelines from Demystifying Tomatoes can help set you off on an exciting tomato odyssey!
A few hints when with a Tommalier:
Don�t rush. Savor the experience.
Get the Tommalier on your side and ask for advice.
If you are in any doubt about which tomato to plump for, ignore over-enthusiastic friends who keep topping off your mouth with tomatoes. Use your best guess.
Relax!
-------------------
Tom Wagner, Tommalier
Posted by Tom_Wagner (thoswagner@aol.com) on Thu, May 29, 03 at 16:25
Tomato Tasting Takes Brains, Tomato Breeder Finds
Folsom (Somewhere along the American River)
Tomato-tasting requires much more than a perfect palate and a fruity vocabulary -- you have to use your brains.
That's the finding of a study undertaken by tomato breeder Tom Wagner in Folsom, Ca.
"I wanted to find out whether there was a difference at brain level between a trained and an untrained person eating tomatoes," said Wagner, a plant breeder of tomatoes and potatoes, during his presentation at the Tomato Academy in Folsom Thursday.
"What I found is that the training does more than just educate your palate, it also affects how your brain responds to the taste of tomatoes."
Wagner related how researchers in other studies conducted brain scans on expert wine drinkers versus casual drinkers while they tasted wines.
Apparently, the scans showed, for both groups, identical activity in the amygdala, the brain tissue that reacts to sensations of pleasure.
Amazingly, the expert wine tasters displayed a flurry of activity in parts of their frontal cortexes, the brain used for thinking, while the casual drinkers showed little or no reaction in the frontal cortex.
Wagner continues, �The extrapolation is simple. Two groups can be asked to pay very close attention to tomatoes that they tasting, and I expect both the expert and the amateur to be thinking. Even if both groups have the sensory aspects in regards to tasting, the taste of tomatoes will likely trigger a rational, quasi-intellectual response in the expert.�
The Tomato Academy is offering the ramifications that prove the reasoning, the intellectual effort and gift that break down the wide ranges of tastes of a tomato that affects the ability to assess the full flavor. Just as a sommelier in wine can be the expert, Wagner is suggesting a new word for the expert tomato taster: TOMMALIER. �It�s not that Tommaliers are necessarily superior beings, it�s totally in the training and the experience!� Wagner says with a straight face. In order to be perhaps a bit hoity-toity or pretentious, he pronounces it taw-mah-LYAY. Just as the French term, sommelier, is a steward of waiter in charge of wine, the TOMMALIER will for hundreds of years, be responsible for the gathering and serving of tomatoes to loyal subjects. If you ask something like, �Est-ce que vous etes ivre?� don�t expect an answer.
Eating tomatoes is easy. Talking about tomatoes can be hard. Finding words to describe sensations in your nose and mouth is difficult for anyone, but it's an important skill to develop if you want to learn about tomatoes. Otherwise, you may find it problematic to explain your preferences and share your tomato experiences, good, bad, or indifferent.
It's true that each tomato taster has his/her own personal response to each tomato he/she tries. Yet experienced tasters may agree on the meaning of certain terms, which gives them a common vocabulary. Some terms are familiar to anybody with taste buds: sweet and sour, for example. Others may sound strange to beginning tasters, yet they're among the most basic tomato descriptors. You may have to use these specialized words -and "yum" and "yuck" as these are pretty useful too - they can help if you're trying to communicate your impressions to someone else.
The laziest way to learn the lingo is to get close to people who know about tomatoes. However, not too close! Take advantage of the free or inexpensive tastings at farmers� markets and listen to what people say. Even if you aren't participating in the conversation, you'll be able to compare your impressions to the comments of TOMMALIERS or from less experienced tasters.
The tomato is one of life's greatest pleasures. Forget the old saying that "a little learning is a dangerous thing." When it comes to tomatoes, a little knowledge is all you need. Many tomato experts (Tommaliers) would argue that the more tomato knowledge you possess, the more you can appreciate the delicacies and fine nuances of tomatoes, but I'll leave that up to you.
Tomato-tasting
There's eating tomatoes and tasting tomatoes, the latter being a more serious (but enjoyable) endeavor. The primary objective of a tomato tasting is to analyze the tomato to determine its quality. The most simple, straightforward approach is to assess whether a tomato tastes good. Dedicated tomato-tasters (who vary in their seriousness) have more exacting criteria, however. There are few guidelines on how to taste tomatoes formally, such as using the proper equipment, like white tablecloths, plates, having the tomatoes at the right temperature, displaying of the fruits, if necessary, and so on. The tasting process itself involves three basic steps, all of which have their own nuances: examining the tomato's appearance, smelling the cut tomato, and tasting it. Examining the tomato's appearance generally consists of tilting and turning the fruit slightly away from you over a white background so the tomato's color and brilliance is obvious. Next, the fruit's appearance tells an experienced tomato-taster several things including how it's ripening (whether it may be past its prime) and possible quality. Smelling the tomato generally consists of slicing the fruit to release its aroma and/or bouquet and then putting your nose just above the fruit and inhaling gently. If you don't get much aroma from the fruit, cover the top of the cut fruit with one palm and swirl again, quickly remove your palm just before you smell the tomato. Because smell and taste have a symbiotic relationship, just smelling the fruit can reveal much of its character. The first hint of a delightful tomato will be perceived through the sense of smell. By the final step of tasting the tomato, a number of clues about it will already have been revealed. TOMMALIERS suck in a little air as they take slice of tomato into their mouth. This technique aerates the fruit (which brings out the flavor) but also creates a slurping noise. Yes, I am a slurper! Other tasters "chew" or slosh the fruit around in their mouth. Both procedures are intended to expose the tomato's full flavors while bringing the olfactory senses into play.
In blind tastings, the tasters do not know the identity of the tomatoes. This is done so that knowledge of the tomato's origin doesn't influence the TAMMALIER�S opinion. In some blind tastings, participants will know what variety of tomatoes are being tasted, but not which grower they're from. For example, a group in a blind tasting might know that the tomatoes are all California Brandywines or Green Zebras from the 2003 vintage or that the California and North Carolina Green Grapes are being compared. In other blind tastings, the participants are told the various tomatoes' identities (such as six OTV Brandywines from six named growers), but they don't know which plate which tomato is on.
Part of the fun and educational value of a blind tasting is learning how to determine the regional traits of tomatoes and, eventually, those of the individual growers. Occasionally, there are double blind tastings where different varietal tomatoes are tasted together. This adds the challenge of trying to ascertain the varietal character of each variety, in addition to where it's from. A horizontal tasting is one where all the tomatoes are from the same variety but from different growers. In a vertical tasting tomatoes are from different (often contiguous) years but from the same grower. For example, a vertical tasting could include the 1982, 1984, 1993, and 2003 crops of Banana Legs. The idea of a vertical tasting is to try to identify traits that exist in the same tomato year after year. Obviously tomatoes are not wines, so one must conduct the tastings each year or compile data already on file.
For tomato-tasters and this particular TOMMALIER, one may wish to pick tomatoes that are picked farther down the vine, closer to the soil. Tomato flavor can be influenced by location on the vine. This TOMMALIER, Tom Wagner, suggests cutting the fruit crossways through the fruit, rather than from the stem-end to the bottom or in quarters.
There can be numerous descriptors used for tomato tasting. Knowing these terms is certainly not a requirement for enjoying tomatoes. But knowledge of tomato terminology will help you better understand tomato newsletters, magazine and newspaper articles on tomatoes, tomato reviews, forum messages on Growing Tomatoes, and seed catalog seed lists.
Acidic: tomatoes with a sharp, citric taste
Aftertaste: the taste left in the mouth after you have swallowed the tomato fruit.
Aromatic: tomato varieties that have a spicy character, such as Pineapple.
Bitter: an aftertaste, usually associated with immature fruit.
Body: The feel of the tomato in the mouth. tender medium or hard depending on the firmness
Clean: a tomato free of "off" odors or flavors.
Closed: an unripened fruit not yet expressing its bouquet or flavor.
Crisp: A green-apple freshness, denoting lively acidity.
Dry: a tomato whose sugars have not been totally developed.
Fruity: a tomato with good fruit extract from fully ripened tomatoes.
Hard: the mouth puckering effect of unripe fruit and acidity masking the tomato�s potential flavor.
Herbaceous: a grassy, vegetal taste, especially in tomatoes picked too soon and poorly ripened.
Hot: high alcohol leaving hotness in the throat. Hey, you aren't�t suppose to drink and taste.
Legs: the wet residue left on the side of the mouth; residual sugar.
Musty: an "off" odor caused by dirty storage conditions.
Nose: the bouquet of the wine.
Petrol: a characteristic smell ion in some wild Lycopersicon species.
Short: a tomato with little after taste.
Soft: a well-rounded tomato with mature flavors and little evidence of acidity.
Smoky: As in a Christmas Zebra tomato. If none of this variety is available, try a Black Zebra instead.
Terroir: the total physical conditions surrounding a tomato field: climate, soil, drainage, exposure, etc.
Unbalanced: excess of one or more elements in tomato: fruit, acid, or sugar.
Well balanced: perfect harmony between all the tomato fruit�s elements.
More things to consider about tomato flavor:
� a) Color of the tomato when the fruit is turned or tilted and is viewed against a light source.
� b) Smell - (known in the general sense as the "nose").
� c) Taste - (first in the "mouth" or "palate", followed by the "finish").
Using these perceptions, the tasters attempt to communicate their feelings about the tomato under review to others by descriptive words or phrases. The following glossary is but one attempt to categorize those words/phrases.
Acetic, acidity, aftertaste, age, appely, aroma, ascescence, astringent, attack, attractive, austere, balance, berrylike, big, bouquet, brawny, brix, candy like, charming, chewy, cardboard, citrusy, complex, crisp, delicate, depth, dessert, direct, dirty, dumb, earthy, elegant, essence, extracted, finish, firm, fleshy, floral, forward, foxy, fresh, fruity, full-bodied, funky, gnarly, grapefruity, grassy harsh, hazy, hearty, hollow, jam-like, lean, legs, length, lingering, lively, lush, meager, meaty, mouth-filling, nose, over-ripe, oxidized, perfumed, ponderous, powerful, pruney, puckery, refined, residual sugar, rich, ripe, robust, rough, rustic, sharp, simple, smoky, soft, sour, specific gravity, spicy, structure, sturdy, stylish, supple, sweet, tart, terroir, thin, under-ripe, varietal character, volatile, warm, watery, well-balanced, wine thief, and more.
Reading about tomatoes and their descriptions:
There is one real question about tomato variety hype: �Is the tomato any good?�
Unfortunately, the answer is only submerged beneath enthusiastic marketing waffle.
You may be surprised at the richness of information provided for a particular variety.
There are things that affect flavor.
What you should know:
1. The tomato variety is the best start for flavor. If it is supposed to have flavor, try it.
2. The terroir of the tomato being grown. Soil, climate, and exposure ultimately affect the flavor of the fruit.
3. Region. What State, County, etc.
4. Vintage = year grown.
There are many ways to properly serve tomatoes for tasting. Where can you go to participate in a tomato- tasting and how to act when you are there?
.
Tomato Secrets Revealed
If you are new to the tomato arena, you may be confused by the jargon on tomato seed labels, not confident when ordering seed at an Internet site or making a selection for a special occasion, and unsure what the difference is between a Rose de Berne and a Brandywine. Visit Demystifying Tomatoes to learn about choosing tomatoes and making sense of tomato speak.
The front and back of the tongue contain the taste buds. But, rather than specializing in a particular taste sensation, all taste buds are capable of detecting sweet, sour, bitter and salty flavors, although there may be some slight differences in sensitivity. So that you get the most out of your taste buds, when tomato tasting, swish the fruit around your mouth, which will allow all of your taste buds (and your sense of smell) to participate in the detection of the finer flavors of the tomato.
Smell and Taste
Have you ever tried to detect flavor when you had a terrible cold? Research indicates that 70 to 75% of what we taste is actually due to our sense of smell. Specialized "aroma" nerves in the nose are necessary to identify tastes more subtle than sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Smell and taste go hand-in-hand when tomato tasting.
Tomato Tasting Techniques
Tomato tasting is an art. While tomato tasting can be subjective in nature, TOMMALIERS follow some general "guidelines" when judging a tomato. It's very easy to learn the techniques of tomato tasting, and if you already enjoy tomatoes, learning the nuances will increase the pleasure you derive from tasting.
The three steps in tomato tasting are: Look, Smell, and Taste.
Look
You can tell much about a tomato simply by studying its appearance. The tomato should be held in front of a white background (a tablecloth or piece of paper will serve nicely) so that you can examine the color.
The color of tomatoes varies tremendously, even within the same variety of tomato. Where as time improves many red tomatoes, it ruins others. Red tomatoes are not just red; they range from a pale red to a deep brown red.
Smell
Swirl your tomato slice in your mouth. This releases molecules in the fruit allowing you to smell the aroma, also called the bouquet or nose. The two main techniques that tomato tasters use are:
1.) Take a quick whiff and formulate an initial impression, then take a second deeper whiff or
2.) Take only one deep whiff.
Either way, after you smell the aroma, sit back and contemplate the aroma. Don't try to "taste" the fruit yet, concentrate only on what you smell.
It may be difficult to describe in words when you're a novice, but after trying many tomatoes you will notice similarities and differences. Sometimes a certain smell will be very strong with underlying hints of other smells. Take your time. By labeling an aroma you will probably remember it better. You may even want to keep a notebook of your impressions of tomatoes, and save the seed packets; next time you see the tomato listings you won't have to purchase it to know if you like it . . . or you don't!
Taste
The most important quality of a tomato is its balance between sweetness and acidity. To get the full taste of a tomato follow the following three steps:
1. Initial taste (or first impression): This is where the tomato fruit awakens your senses (your taste buds respond to sensations).
2. Taste: Cut around on the fruit and draw in some air (even if you do look funny in front of your dinner guests). Eat.
3. Aftertaste: The taste that remains in your mouth after you have swallowed the tomato. How long did the taste last? Was it pleasant?
After tasting the tomato, take a moment to value its overall flavor and balance. Is the taste appropriate for that variety of tomato? If the tomato is very bland, is it supposed to be?
Some serious tomato connoisseurs assign a point score to tomatoes to determine its quality. While this method can be useful, it is in no way necessary to determine a quality tomato. The more different tomatoes you try, and the more attention you pay to each variety, the better you will become at ascertaining and describing each variety�s characteristics.
Body Count
Invite only the number of tasters that can fit comfortably in your home or Farmers� Market. A crowd around the tasting table can be intimidating and guests should not feel rushed when slicing a piece of tomato.
Water
For those guests that get thirsty have bottled water on hand; also good for those that want to rinse their mouths between wines. I am not going to tell you where to spit the water.
Food and Wine
Unsalted water crackers or bread should be provided for palate cleansing during the tasting. Provide the stronger foods for after the tomato tasting.
For the Guest
Handling a Tomato
The proper way to hold any style tomato is by the stem. Wink! This keeps fingerprints off the fruit and keeps your hand from heating the tomato.
Perfume and Cologne
Avoid wearing scent to a tomato tasting event. I am trying to find tomatoes that make flavor, not tomatoes on the make!
Lighting Up
Smoking at or just before a tomato tasting will affect the taste of your tomatoes.
Mints and Gum
Gum and breath mints will alter the taste of tomato. Rinse your mouth well with water before beginning a tasting.
Comments
If you have negative comments about a tomato, keep them to yourself, particularly when at an heirloom tasting display. You can always relate later. Your comments affect others, you know. You smile at each other at these events, raising the tomato to your mouth, expecting nirvana�. and a bland odor wafts up your nose. Undaunted, you take a bite�and the blandness nearly causes you to gag. The mood is tainted like bad wine.
What are you missing?
If you tend to stick to the tried and tested or confine yourself to the "special tomato seed trade" offers, or perhaps a certain variety available in your locale, you are missing out on a wonderful experience of delicious and rewarding flavors. Don't worry! A few basic guidelines from Demystifying Tomatoes can help set you off on an exciting tomato odyssey!
A few hints when with a Tommalier:
Don�t rush. Savor the experience.
Get the Tommalier on your side and ask for advice.
If you are in any doubt about which tomato to plump for, ignore over-enthusiastic friends who keep topping off your mouth with tomatoes. Use your best guess.
Relax!
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Tom Wagner, Tommalier
