When a Tomato Becomes a Luxury
What makes an ingredient coveted? Colonization plays a role
This was first posted as the August 17 newsletter, “From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy.” You can sign up here.
August is the time of year when the tomato becomes a luxury item for many. Its ruby-red juiciness, its intensity of flavor — now is the moment at which the mundane becomes spectacular. Like spring for ramps in the U.S. northeast, summer for tomatoes is a thrilling time. Does a food have to bloom as its best self briefly and then disappear in order for it to be appreciated as a local, seasonal gem? A tomato, even in its best expression, is pretty accessible — so it’s not snobby, right? It’s luxurious for its fleetingness, not its cost.
A tomato, even in its best expression, is pretty accessible — so it’s not snobby, right? It’s luxurious for its fleetingness, not its cost.
Luxury in food and beverage works on those two levels: something prized for its fleetingness, others for their cost. Both levels are present in, say, a truffle or chanterelles. These things emerge from the earth, and that emergence is generally respected. Such cases in food, where industrialization and efficiency have been overvalued and globally…
