You Can Eat Tomato Leaves and Stems (No, Really)
I love the smell of tomato leaves. I think they are summer and seductive – so much so that I often dip into a perfume with a tomato leaf scent (which I made myself at a “perfume college” in the south of France). To me, the smell of tomato leaves is almost as important as the taste of tomatoes, so I was thrilled to find that they are actually not as poisonous as many people say.
Tomato leaves are a little poisonous
“Dose creates poison” is one of the principles of toxicology, and I would like more people to remember it. This saying is attributed to Paracelsus , literally a Renaissance man, who said: “All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; dosage alone makes it not poison. “
Take ethanol, for example. Known as “the alcohol that makes you have a little fun,” it is without a doubt a toxic chemical. Too much of it can kill you, and even a small amount can make you feel like pure excrement, but that doesn’t stop us from absorbing it in many different forms. Tomato leaves are even less harmful than ethanol.
The leaves, stems and unripe green tomatoes of tomatoes contain solanine, a toxic glycoalkaloid that all members of the “deadly” nightshade family have, but they contain very little of it. Tomato leaves and stems also contain small amounts of tomato, another toxin in the same family. To take the toxic (but still probably not lethal) dose, Harold McGee said, one would have to eat over a kilogram of tomato leaves. Luckily, as with many other green herbs, you don’t need to use a lot of tomato leaves (or stems) to add some fresh herbal flavor to the dish.
But what do they taste like?
The leaves and stems of raw tomatoes are unpleasant, but the same can be said for rosemary. I tried to fry the leaves in oil, and at first I thought I liked them, but in fact I just enjoyed the oil. The texture was viscous and unpleasant, and the taste was too medicinal, although both improved if cooked longer, like Swiss chard or mustard greens.
However, I prefer to use them as a condiment for soups, stews and the like. When the leaves and stems are rolled and stewed in a sauce (or even plain water), they impart a pleasant, spicy, zesty tea flavor. Nicely! I don’t know if I would base the entire dish on tomato leaves, but they make a great addition to a bouquet of garni, pesto (wiping with blades really helps with texture) or (unsurprisingly) tomato sauce.
If you don’t believe me, trust the fantasy chef. According to Food Republic , Portland’s Jenn Louis “blanches, dries and mixes the leaves in a pasta batter, and serves pasta with butter and fresh tomatoes.” I don’t think I do all of this, but it’s nice to have the opportunity, especially considering the true abundance of stems and leaves right outside my door. (Don’t worry, I won’t eat them all at once.)