The tomato has its origins in South America, in the countries around the Andes, that is present-day Peru, Bolivia, North Chile and Ecuador.The locals, such as the Incas and Aztecs, grew tomatoes whichat the time were no bigger than cherries. Slowly the tomato spread throughout South America.When the Spaniards conquered Mexico about 1519, they ‘discovered’ the tomato and brought it back to Europe.

The first tomatoes that came to Europe were small and yellow in color. They were called Peruvian apples or golden apples. The Italian word for tomato, pomodoro, is a corruption of pomod'oro, which literally means golden apple. The English word tomato, the German word Tomate and the Dutch word tomaat are all corruptions of tomatl, which is the Aztec word for this fruit.

Although tomatoes were initially used as ornamental plants in Europe, because people thought the fruit was poisonous, the Spaniards and Italians soon discovered that tomatoes are delicious to eat.

The development of new tomato varieties initially took place around the Mediterranean. By the middle of the eighteenth century thousands of tomato varieties were cultivated, especially in southern Europe.

The rest of Europe followed, especially when people discovered that tomatoes grow very well in greenhouses. Slowly the plant conquered Europe and the rest of the world. Today, the tomato is one of the most cultivated fruit-vegetables available. The Netherlands alone grew 1,474,800,000 m² (1480 ha) of tomato plants in greenhouses in 2017!

Sourc: https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2017/32/vooral-tomaten-in-de-kas