How Science Ruined Tomatoes (and How It Can Fix Them)

Some things really were better in the good old days. It’s not just nostalgia but scientific fact, for example, that tomatoes used to taste a lot better. Somewhere over the course of the late 20th century, they lost their tomato flavor.

How tomatoes went from a sweet-savory summer treat to something watery and bland presents not just a chemical and genetic mystery, but an economic and cultural one. Call it a fruit (the botanically correct term), or a vegetable (the way it’s regarded in American and European cooking), and either way, the tomato is a global favorite. When the flavor disappeared, why didn’t consumers rebel, the way they do when soda-makers change their formulas and the new version disappoints?