the tomato was once considered poisonous

Re: the tomato was once considered poisonous


These are plants. You should be looking in a dictionary to answer questions such as this.

In the Western way of thinking, plants are divided into families. As in most families, some members are far more useful and productive than others.

"Belladonna" is Italian for "beautiful woman". Although the plant is poisonous if swallowed, an extract of belladonna used as eye drops will enlarge the pupils of the eye (and make seeing in bright--or even normal--light much more difficult.

Belladonna has also been used as a murder weapon.

The tomato, potato, and the various pepper plants are respectable members of the belladonna family.

Contrex--

I Googled the words tintin was querying. The most popular links were as technical as the text in question.

Tintin--

Can you Google for images when the names of Western plants and herbs are unfamiliar to you?

Of course, even that can be confusing. I Googled and learned that "Belladonna" is also a well-known porn star.

We eat parts of many plants of the nightshade family, but while one part may be edible another may be poisonous. All parts of the tomato plant are poisonous except for the fruit, green or ripe.

Tomatillos, the tomato-like fruit in a husk that we see in Mexican markets are edible, but the wild version of the same genus--Physalis--is toxic when green.

The potato is edible but contains toxins in its green state. Even the green parts of a potato are somewhat toxic, which is why we store them in the dark.

Tobacco, by the way, is toxic if eaten and carcinogenic over a long period of time if smoked or chewed. Children have died from eating tobacco.

in germany tomatoes were also called LIEBES-APFEL (love apple , french : pomme de' amour) because it was thought that they would arouse ...

i recall that my grand-dad used to talk about LIEBES-APFEL .
hbg

And in parts of southern Germany and Austria they were also known as "Paradiesaepfel" ("paradise apples"), because people thought they were the "forbidden fruit" that Eve had given to Adam in the Garden of Eden.

similarly , the lowly potatoe , which in german is a simple KARTOFFEL becomes a lovely ERDAPFEL (apple of the earth) in southern germany and austria .
hbg

And pomme de terre in France.

"Potatoe" - That's the same error that Dan Quayle made. You're not related, are you?

should have used the plural and wouldn't have made a fool of myself - or should have just stayed with KARTOFFELN ! :wink: .
i particularly recommend BRATKARTOFFELN
hbg