The cherry tomato is a type of small round tomato believed to be an intermediate genetic admixture between wild currant-type tomatoes and domesticated garden tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes range in size from a thumbtip up to the size of a golf ball, and can range from spherical to slightly oblong in shape. Although usually red, other colours such as orange, yellow, green, purple, and black also exist. Those shaped like an oblong share characteristics with plum tomatoes and are known as grape tomatoes. The cherry tomato is regarded as a botanical variety of the cultivated berry, Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme.

It originates in the Americas, and grew in commerical popularity during the late 20th century following the development of wild variants into commerically suitable variants by Israeli scientists in the 1970s.

History

"The cherry tomato... is believed to be the direct ancestor of modern cultivated tomatoes and is the only wild tomato found outside South America." The tomato is thought to have been first domesticated in the Puebla-Veracruz area of Mexico and to have reached this area from South America in the form of a weedy cherry tomato.

The first direct reference to the cherry tomato appears in 1623, in a work called Pinax theatri botanici (English: Illustrated exposition of plants) by Swiss botanist Caspar Bauhin, which contains descriptions and classifications of approximately six thousand species. In a section on "Solanum" (nightshades), Bauhin wrote of a variety called Solanum racemosum cerasoru[m] forma, which translates to "Solanum [that is] full of clusters [racemosum], in the form (shape) of cherries".

Cherry tomatoes have been popular in the United States since at least 1919. Recipes using cherry tomatoes can be found in articles dating back to 1967.

In the 1970s Israeli scientists developed wild variants of the cherry tomato into global brands popular today among them the tomaccio. Nathan Goldenberg, approached Professor Nahum Kedar and Professor Haim Rabinowitch from the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem with the idea of developing an improved variety of cherry tomatoes. Even before the appeal, the two were working on developing varieties suitable for cultivation in the hot Israeli climate, including a regular tomato variety with a long shelf life, encouraged by the Israeli government, which promoted the endevour. According to Rabinowitch, the desire to develop a cherry tomato variety was mutual; Goldenberg provided funding and all the seeds available at the time for home cultivation.The variety developed by Kedar and Rabinowitch was flavorful, had a long shelf life, and was convenient for commercial packaging (two rows arranged around the stem). Licenses to market the seeds were sold to several Israeli companies. The variety gained popularity in the late 1980s, and sales peaked in 1992. The development brought the Hebrew University more revenue than all their other commercial developments combined In the following decades, many other varieties were developed, and the popularity of cherry tomatoes continued to rise.

Cultivars

The Super Sweet 100 is a hybrid cultivar popular in the United States and resistant to both Fusarium and Verticillium wilt.

The Selke Biodynamic cherry tomato is named after Margrit Selke.

The indeterminate hybrid sungold cherry tomato is known for its vigorous early-yielding plants and colorful orange fruits.

Nutrition

Cherry tomatoes, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	76 kJ (18 kcal)
Carbohydrates	5.2 g
Sugars	3.5 g
Dietary fiber	1.7 g
Fat	0 g
Protein	0.9 g
Vitamins	Quantity %DV
Vitamin A equiv. beta-Carotene	5% 42 μg 2% 250 μg
Thiamine (B1)	0% 0 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	0% 0 mg
Niacin (B3)	1% 0.17 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0% 0 mg
Vitamin B6	1% 0.02 mg
Folate (B9)	4% 14 μg
Vitamin C	29% 26 mg
Vitamin E	1% 0.2 mg
Minerals	Quantity %DV
Calcium	1% 14 mg
Iron	4% 0.63 mg
Magnesium	3% 14 mg
Manganese	5% 0.12 mg
Phosphorus	3% 33 mg
Potassium	9% 260 mg
Sodium	0% 6 mg
Zinc	1% 0.16 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	92.2 g
Link to Database entry
Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.