Remember the Simpsons episode where Homer accidentally breeds tobacco and tomatoes, calls the resulting hybrid a Tomacco and gets rich? Unfortunately, the tomacco, albeit a cartoon invention, was the first thing that came to my mind upon hearing about the stramato.
A hybrid of - you guessed it - a tomato and a strawberry - its inventors are saying that their cocktail tomato" boasts a "beautiful strawberry shape, naturally sweet taste and a rich, deep red color."
Eh - I mean, it sounds good, but did the world really need another cocktail tomato? What was wrong with the old ones? Or just plain ol' cherry, for that matter?
Whadya think, readers? Yes or no on the stramato?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-16-2008 @ 7:47PM
jackiecat said...
Not a hybrid, just a shape.
http://www.melissas.com/catalog/index.cfm?Product_id=4428&Info=YES
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4-16-2008 @ 7:47PM
MM said...
I can't find any evidence on the linked site or with a google search that these stramatos are actually any sort of hybrid, let alone an interspecies one. Unless you just mean the WORD stramato is a hybrid.
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4-16-2008 @ 7:47PM
Caroline said...
I don't think this would have been possible without genetic engineering, and I think GM foods might be dangerous. I know I don't want to eat any of them.
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4-16-2008 @ 8:38PM
jocelyn said...
I also don't think that this is a hybrid between a strawberry and a tomato. (however I do think it IS what is known as a hybrid tomato, which simply means that if you save seeds from it it, they won't grow true, and might not even grow at all)
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4-16-2008 @ 8:40PM
Ellen Slattery said...
MM got me - I meant the word itself is a crazy hybrid of "tomato" and "strawberry," not the actual tomato. But i I do find evidence of it being an actual hybrid, I'll let you guys know.
Sorry about the confusion - next time I'll make myself clearer!
-Ellen
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4-17-2008 @ 2:21AM
CreamedPossum said...
STOP EFFING WITH MY FOOD!!!!!! GIVE ME STUFF THAT GROWS NORMALLY!!!!
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4-17-2008 @ 9:58AM
fuchsoid said...
This looks like one of the thousands of straightforward tomato varieties that don't normally get commercial attention, perhaps a re-named heirloom variety. I'd be surprised if it has any genetic material from strawberries, any more than plum or cherry tomatoes have genes from plums or cherries.
Incidentally, it might be possible to produce a conventional (non-GM) hybrid between tomato and tobacco, since they are both part of the same large genetic group (Solanaceae), as are peppers, aubergines and potatoes. Strawberries are from a different family. GM methods can be used to blend genetic materials from completely unrelated species, soi you could perhaps produce a tomato/strawberry blend, but why would you bother?
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4-17-2008 @ 7:48PM
Paul said...
I have actually tasted a Stramato, and it's as sweet as they say. I got it at The FreshMarkets. Even though the shape, color and sweetness is like a strawberry, it's a tomato through and through. A beutiful little tomato.
Paul
I forgot to mention that we bought the little Grab & go bag for our 3 year old son, and he thinks it's as good as candy.
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4-18-2008 @ 2:17PM
Wendy said...
I've had a stramato and they are really tasty! It was the first tomato-tasting tomato I've had since the summer. I don't like the name at all, and they are sneaky with their "grab-and-go" bag which is about 1 serving—I'd prefer less packaging and more tomato—but I guess I have to wait for the farmer's market.
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4-18-2008 @ 3:56PM
John said...
I sell these tomatoes in my stores, just to assure everyone this is not a hybrid between a strawberry and a tomato but rather its name comes from the tomato being in the shape of a strawberry. It is also much sweeter then any other tomato.
It is worth the try!!!!
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