NEWS

• The book Sapiens del tomate brings together knowledge and offers a global vision of the most produced and best valued fruit in the world.

• With 140 years of experience in vegetable seeds, Semillas Fitó is now committed to educating people about the tomato from the perspective of its seeds.

The Sapiens del Tomate is a research project jointly developed by Semillas Fitó and the elBullifoundation to understand what the tomato is from a holistic and interconnected point of view. It covers all aspects from its history, to its agricultural and productive evolution, to is culinary uses and role in society.

The tomato is one of the most used ingredients in the Mediterranean diet. More than 5,000,000 tons are produced each year in Spain, and Semillas Fitó works with more than 30 typologies of this iconic product of different shapes, sizes and colors, highly appreciated by farmers since they respond to the demands of a market which is crying out for varieties with a lot of flavor and which are productive. But is it a fruit or a vegetable? Are tomatoes created or produced? What is the best variety to eat in a salad?

The book Sapiens del tomate combines the agronomic knowledge of Semillas Fitó with the gastronomic experience from the elBulli Foundation to help explain how the tomato has evolved, both its fruit and its use in cooking, as well as its importance in politics or art. Through the "Sapiens" multidisciplinary analysis method a journey has been undertaken that began thousands of years ago in America and has not yet ended. "This is not a recipe book, but a book for knowledge," says chef Ferran Adrià.

The Sapiens del Tomate is representative of the social commitment that unites Semillas Fitó with the elBullifoundation. Therefore, the project aims to be one more step along the path to the continuous transformation of the agro-food industry at the seed level, and contribute new knowledge to restaurant gastronomy in particular and others disciplines in general: botany, chemistry, commerce, among many others. Knowledge allows us to understand what we do and this helps us to produce, buy, cook, eat and innovate better.

This work is aimed at people involved in the world of the tomato, whether in the restaurant industry, biology or agriculture. It is also interesting and enriching for the food industry and the general public, especially for those with a gastronomic side and an interest in learning more about this produce, its characteristics, culinary applications and history, among other aspects.

The Sapiens del tomate is part of Ferran Adrià's 'Bullipedia', the first great encyclopedia on gastronomy, creativity and innovation, which can be purchased from 5 October from the www.elbullistore.com website.