Seeding Controversy: Did Israel Invent the Cherry Tomato?

dc.contributor.authorWexler, Anna
dc.date2023-05-17T23:03:46.000
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-22T23:51:22Z
dc.date.available2023-05-22T23:51:22Z
dc.date.issued2016-01-01
dc.date.submitted2019-11-12T12:40:13-08:00
dc.description.abstractThis research brief explores the controversial history of the cherry tomato and analyzes its role in the construction of Israel's national identity. Since 2003, mentions of Israel having “invented” the cherry tomato have appeared in both Israeli and international media. However, such claims have sparked outrage on various blogs and websites, and questions have been raised about the veracity of Israel's claims—as well as about the true origin of the cherry tomato. I explore the history of the cherry tomato, tracing mentions of it from the Renaissance period to modern times. In addition, I clarify the assertions of Israeli scientists credited with the development of the cherry tomato—that their research transformed the cherry tomato into a commodity in the 1980s. Finally, I discuss the cherry tomato claim in light of the Israeli government's hasbara (Hebrew for “explanation”) efforts, which attempt to counter negative images of Israel in the international press. While much previous scholarship on food and nationalism has focused on the relationship between the cultivation, preparation, or consumption of a food and the construction of a national identity, the present work focuses on the relationship between the food's invention narrative and national identity. By transforming the cherry tomato into an embodiment of technological innovation, I argue that hasbara separates the cherry tomato from its essence as a food and co-opts it into a symbol of modernity and progress.
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/40114
dc.legacy.articleid1012
dc.legacy.fields10.1525/gfc.2016.16.2.1
dc.legacy.fulltexturlhttps://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=mehp&unstamped=1
dc.rightsPublished as Seeding Controversy: Did Israel Invent the Cherry Tomato? Anna Wexler. Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies, Vol. 16 No. 2, Summer 2016; (pp. 1-11) DOI: 10.1525/gfc.2016.16.2.1. © 2016 by [the Regents of the University of California/Sponsoring Society or Association]. Copying and permissions notice: Authorization to copy this content beyond fair use (as specified in Sections 107 and 108 of the U. S. Copyright Law) for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by [the Regents of the University of California/on behalf of the Sponsoring Society] for libraries and other users, provided that they are registered with and pay the specified fee via Rightslink® or directly with the Copyright Clearance Center.
dc.source.beginpage1
dc.source.endpage11
dc.source.issue13
dc.source.issue2
dc.source.journalDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy
dc.source.journaltitleGastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies
dc.source.peerreviewedtrue
dc.source.statuspublished
dc.source.volume16
dc.subject.othertomato
dc.subject.othercherry tomato
dc.subject.otherIsrael
dc.subject.othernationalism
dc.subject.othernational cuisine
dc.subject.otherculinary history
dc.titleSeeding Controversy: Did Israel Invent the Cherry Tomato?
dc.typeArticle
digcom.contributor.authorisAuthorOfPublication|email:awex@pennmedicine.upenn.edu|institution:University of Pennsylvania|Wexler, Anna
digcom.identifiermehp/13
digcom.identifier.contextkey15760159
digcom.identifier.submissionpathmehp/13
digcom.typearticle
dspace.entity.typePublication
relation.isAuthorOfPublication6db0aee5-d105-4df3-b013-7b5be0b892a5
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery6db0aee5-d105-4df3-b013-7b5be0b892a5
upenn.schoolDepartmentCenterDepartment of Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Wexler_Gastronomica_2016.pdf
Size:
537.5 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Collection