Five hundred years ago, wooden crates full of round, golden, Aztec berries creaked and slid around the cluttered hull of a massive Spanish carrack, swaying in harmony with the momentum of the Atlantic Ocean, as compasses, quadrants and astrolabes directed the ship and its crew back to the shores of the Old World.

This New World nightshade was the 16th century version of what was referred to as the tomatl in the Uto-Aztecan language, Nahuatl. Unbeknownst to them, just a couple of centuries later this very plant would become a staple in Mediterranean cuisine, and by the 21st century over 177 million tons would be cultivated annually in more than 7,500 different varieties.