# Tree Tomatos **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-tomatos/493862 "2009-04-21T16:37:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-tomatos/493862/1 "2009-04-21T16:37:57Z")
Has anyone ever had one? What did you think of it? [Wikipedia link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_tomato) ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-tomatos/493862/2 "2009-04-21T18:54:13Z")
Hey, I just had a couple of those in Ecuador. I didn’t like it much though. It was very sour, and I wasn’t a big fan of the flavor. I have no way of knowing if I had a good one or not though. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-tomatos/493862/3 "2009-04-21T18:59:39Z")
I take it, it tastes little like a tomato? Any other kind of fruit it tastes similar too? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-tomatos/493862/4 "2009-04-21T19:28:05Z")
I’ve seen them occasionally in markets around town, but I don’t think I’ve ever picked one up. Or, if I did, I don’t remember. I’ll keep an eye out. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-tomatos/493862/5 "2009-04-22T07:23:14Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I take it, it tastes little like a tomato? > > Any other kind of fruit it tastes similar too? We call them tamarillos and I just went ate one so I could describe the taste to you only to find I can’t. I suppose at a l-o-n-g stretch they might be vaguely tomatoey in taste but the seed arrangement inside looks tomatoey (except the seeds are black) and I think that is where the name tree tomato comes from rather than the taste. They don’t really taste like any other fruit to me. We had a tree as kids and we ate stacks of them so maybe that is why a tamarillo just tastes tamarilloey to me. They are slightly sour but not to much though it is very intense flavour. When we were kids mum used to slice them and lightly sprinkle them with sugar and leave them for a while. Then we used to eat them on our cereal for breakfast or have them with cream or yogurt for dessert, YUM. We also used to eat them straight off the tree after school. Try them you’ll like them 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-tomatos/493862/6 "2009-04-22T08:07:14Z")
They are the only fruit I don’t like. But I’ve had tamarillo ice cream & it was really good! & they make the best chutney. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-tomatos/493862/7 "2009-04-22T17:01:42Z")
> [@calm\_kiwi](#): > > We call them tamarillos and I just went ate one so I could describe the taste to you only to find I can’t. I suppose at a l-o-n-g stretch they might be vaguely tomatoey in taste but the seed arrangement inside looks tomatoey (except the seeds are black) and I think that is where the name tree tomato comes from rather than the taste. > > They don’t really taste like any other fruit to me. We had a tree as kids and we ate stacks of them so maybe that is why a tamarillo just tastes tamarilloey to me. They are slightly sour but not to much though it is very intense flavour. > > When we were kids mum used to slice them and lightly sprinkle them with sugar and leave them for a while. Then we used to eat them on our cereal for breakfast or have them with cream or yogurt for dessert, YUM. > > We also used to eat them straight off the tree after school. > > Try them you’ll like them 🙂 Well thank you for doing that. Very nice of you. So I take it they are’t naturally sweet. I’ll keep an eye out for them in my store