Many readers might tell you that “Tomato most popular vegetable in Denmark” is as erroneous a headline as “Chimpanzees voted the nation’s cheekiest monkey” and “Luftwaffe named German airline of the year again”.
After all, a tomato is a fruit, right? Something to do with its seeds and … err ovary. But did you know that the US Supreme Court reclassified it as a vegetable in 1893. So it’s no wonder a certain amount of confusion reigns.
Overtaking the spud
Anyhow – fruit or vegetable, the Danes love them, and just recently the tomato overtook the potato as the country’s most popular ‘vegetable’, reports Søndagsavisen.
Completing the top five are cucumbers, (bell) peppers – two other items in our shopping baskets that are botanically fruits but considered culinary vegetables – and carrots.
More expensive and quicker
Citing figures from supermarket owner Coop – for every 100 kroner of tomatoes it sells 97 kroner of potatoes – the report attributed the rise of the tomato to the nation’s increasing demand for special, more expensive varieties.
Meanwhile, the potato is often vilified by food fads like the Atkins Diet for its high levels of carbohydrates and starch, and also by consumers for taking too long to prepare in the kitchen.
The most popular fruit in Denmark is the banana. Around 360 million are eaten every year.
