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Bitter Tomato

The Bitter Tomato is an African Fruit that's used as a vegetable, particularly in the preparation of West African 'soups' (ie stews). It is available in just about every African market from North to South but is essentially unknown in the West. The description and images below give a brief description of the plant and its fruit.

Bitter Tomato

Bitter Tomato (also known as betabore, Sodom apple, jaxato ji (Wolof)) is the fruit of Solanum incanum, a member of the Solanaceae (Nightshade) family, which also includes potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums.

Solanum incanum is a small erect shrub or perennial herb growing to some 60–150cm in height. The leaves are ovate and shallowly lobed with about 3 lobes on each side. These are opposite and grow along the length of the brown, woody, adult branches of the plant.

The inflorescences of the plant are solitary, or sessile (contracted), typically 5-many flowers in single inflorescences that are markedly dimorphic, with larger pricklier basal flower(s). Once fertilized these develop into the fruit (one per inflorescence) which are globular and can grow up to 6cm in diameter and have green or pale yellow skins with a thin waxy exocarp, The flesh is white, moist but not juicy and contains many seeds that are pale yellow, or brown to black; 2–2.6 mm long. The cross-section of the fruit looks vaguely like a tomato (hence the common name of bitter tomato) and the flesh is markedly bitter but sweetens upon boiling. It also exudes a glutinous substance when boiled and this thickens-up stews and soups. As a result the fruit is much used in West African stews as a thickener.

Solanum incanum it is native to Northern and north-eastern Africa and the middle East (though it has been naturalized in west africa, east Arica, south africa and Australia).

In Kenya the fruit of Solanum incanum are extensively used for the treatment of cutaneous mycotic infections and other pathological conditions. This theraputic use has been atributed to the presence of solanine and related glycoalkaloids within the fruit. Recent studies have also shown that bitter tomatoes contain a compound with a phosphorylated structure similar to the purine adenine which is a potent antimicrobial agent. This compound effectively inhibits the growth of gram-positive and -negative bacteria, yeasts, dermatophytes, and some pathogens of agricultural produce. Thus the use of bitter tomatoes in West African stews may also act to preserve those stews and soups.

Solanum incanum is closely related to Solanum aethiopicum which has a redder (sometimes deep red, sometimes orange) fruit (though of the same morphology) which is generally harvested when green. Cultivation of Solanum aethiopicum is increasing in West Africa. It is also farily closely related to the aubergine (eggplant) Solanum melangena which, in its West African variety produces a yellow fruit that's often termed 'Garden eggs'.


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