Seed l Calabaza Tomato

A LITTLE HISTORY

The Calabaza Tomato belongs to ancient tomato lineages cultivated for centuries throughout Mesoamerica, particularly in the regions of Chiapas and Oaxaca in Mexico.

Long before the arrival of Europeans, Indigenous peoples were already growing different forms of tomatoes within their traditional milpas, agricultural systems where corn, beans, squash, peppers, and tomatoes were cultivated together in a precious balance passed down from generation to generation. Farmers carefully observed their plants and saved seeds from the most flavorful fruits, as well as those most resistant to drought, disease, and climate variations.

Each seed represented knowledge carried through time.

In certain Zapotec communities, different terms were used to describe cultivated tomatoes long before the word “tomato” appeared in Europe.

Later, Nahuatl-speaking peoples, including the Aztecs, used the word xitomatl to refer to certain cultivated red tomatoes. In the great markets of Tenochtitlán, now Mexico City, Spanish chroniclers discovered an impressive diversity of tomatoes: small, large, round, elongated, red, yellow, ribbed, or flattened. These diverse forms were the result of hundreds of years of careful farmer selection.

When the Spanish arrived in Mesoamerica during the 16th century, some deeply ribbed and flattened tomatoes reminded them of calabazas, the Spanish word used for gourds and squash.

Over time, the word traveled across languages and eventually gave rise to the terms calebasse in French and calabash in English. The name remained associated with certain ancient tomatoes possessing this deeply ribbed and irregular appearance.

Unlike modern tomatoes developed for uniformity and commercial transportation, the Calabaza Tomato has preserved its ancient and living appearance.

Its fruits are often unique, deeply ribbed, sometimes imperfect, with dense flesh, thin skin, and a rich flavor highly appreciated by heirloom tomato enthusiasts.

This variety recalls the tomatoes of the past, cultivated before the industrialization of agriculture, when flavor, adaptation to local environments, and seed preservation mattered more than perfect appearance.

For centuries, despite the changes brought by colonization and modern agriculture, farming families continued preserving their traditional seeds.

Year after year, the finest fruits were selected to ensure the continuity of lineages adapted to their environment. Thanks to this quiet transmission, many ancient varieties have survived to this day.

Growing the Calabaza Tomato is a way of bringing part of this long agricultural history back to life. It is also a way of helping preserve ancient biodiversity and a living heritage passed from hand to hand through generations.