Oxheart tomato
The oxheart tomato is a widespread, but relatively little traded beefsteak tomato variety in Germany, which produces up to 500 grams heavy, strongly ribbed, very fleshy, mostly light red fruits.
There are also darker red, pink and yellow fruit shapes, all of which have in common the multiple folded shape that actually resembles the heart of an ox not only in appearance, but also in volume and weight and thus inspired the most common name of the variety in several languages ( Italian cuore di bue , French cœur de bœuf , English oxheart or bull's heart ).
history
The first known mention goes back to a Russian cultivar that was brought to America in 1901. The main growing countries today are the USA , Hungary , Poland , Russia , France and Italy . In Italy, the cuore di bue was and is grown in large crops, especially in the area of Albenga in Liguria . The two best-known and most-produced variants are the cuor'di Levante and the cuor'di Ponente , both of which were characterized by centuries of breeding.
Harvest and trade
The fruits of the variety are large, misshapen and relatively low in juice, with several chambers that contain only a few seeds. Cuore di bue are usually harvested green for trade and then quickly take on the respective color. At the point of full ripeness about one week after harvest, the meat of the Cuor di Bue is still firm and full, even if it is red in color, but the skin is soft and very sensitive to pressure. The taste is still sour when harvested, but becomes sweeter with post-ripening and changes to a full and characteristic aroma.
Fully ripe fruits should be eaten soon as they can no longer be kept for long afterwards. The short shelf life compared to other varieties and the sensitivity of the fruit to damage in transit are the main reasons why the cuore di bue is rarely found in German retail, although it is one of the best tomato varieties in terms of taste. In Italy it is preferred to be eaten raw and still slightly green, because at this stage of maturity the acid- to- sugar ratio is optimal for the taste.
use
For an insalata caprese with buffalo mozzarella and basil , hardly any tomato variety is better than the oxheart tomato, but it can be used just as well in sauces.
Web links
- ortofrutticola.it Page about the cuore di bue (Italian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Oxheart tomato. In: Advanco GmbH, 08056 Zwickau, Tomato.de. 2019, accessed November 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Oxheart tomato. In: Christian Stobitzer, 74343 Sachsenheim, rote-tomat.de. 2019, accessed November 19, 2019 .