K-Food Column: Tomato — Fruit Ripened by Fire and Sun
Creatrip Team
a month ago
Walking summer fields, tomatoes stand out as sun‑soaked red fruits with over 400 years in Korea. Introduced from the Andes via Europe and China, early Joseon records called it 'namman‑si' and the old Korean name was 'ilnyeon‑gam' (one‑year persimmon). Historically considered both fruit and vegetable, tomatoes now play varied roles in Korean cuisine. Traditional medicine views tomatoes as sweet‑sour and slightly cooling, helpful for quenching thirst, aiding digestion, and clearing liver heat. Modern nutrition highlights vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and lycopene — the latter becomes more bioavailable when cooked and with oil, while vitamin C is heat‑sensitive. Thus eat raw for hydration and vitamin C, or cooked with oil for more lycopene. Regional examples include Daejeo tomatoes from Busan, whose brackish soil raises sugar content; the local premium 'japjjal‑i' tomatoes must meet strict size and sweetness (8° Brix) standards and have a different season (Feb–May). The column ties culinary technique to Sun Tzu’s idea of using the right heat at the right time: proper cooking releases beneficial compounds without wasting them. Tomatoes in Korea now appear everywhere from salads to stews and convalescent porridges, reflecting both tradition and modern science.
