Tomato juice is a
juiceJuice is a liquid naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue. Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fresh fruits or vegetables without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree. Juice may be...
made from
tomatoThe tomato is a herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family that is typically cultivated for the purpose of harvesting its fruit for human consumption...
es. It is usually used as a beverage, either plain or in
cocktailA cocktail is a style of mixed drink. Originally a mixture of distilled spirits, sugar, water, and bitters, the word has gradually come to mean almost any mixed drink containing alcohol....
s such as a
Bloody MaryA Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt.-History:The origin of the...
.
Tomato juice was first served as a beverage in 1917 by
Louis Perrin-Biography:Perrin was born at Waterford on 15 Feb. 1782. His father was Jean Baptiste Perrin .Louis Perrin was educated at the diocesan school at Armagh. Removing to Trinity College, Dublin, he gained a scholarship there in 1799, and graduated B.A. in 1801...
at the
French Lick Springs HotelFrench Lick Resort is a resort complex located in the towns of West Baden and French Lick, Indiana. The complex includes two historic resort spa hotels, stables, a casino and three golf courses.-Casino:...
in southern
IndianaIndiana is a U.S. state, the 19
th admitted to the Union. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16
th in population and 17
th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38
th in land area, and is the...
, when he ran out of orange juice and needed a quick substitute. His combination of squeezed tomatos, sugar and his special sauce became an instant success as
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
businessmen spread the word about the tomato juice cocktail.
Many commercial manufacturers of tomato juice also add
saltA salt, in chemistry, is an ionic compound, and can result from the neutralization reaction of acids and bases. Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
.
Tomato juice is a
juiceJuice is a liquid naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue. Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fresh fruits or vegetables without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree. Juice may be...
made from
tomatoThe tomato is a herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family that is typically cultivated for the purpose of harvesting its fruit for human consumption...
es. It is usually used as a beverage, either plain or in
cocktailA cocktail is a style of mixed drink. Originally a mixture of distilled spirits, sugar, water, and bitters, the word has gradually come to mean almost any mixed drink containing alcohol....
s such as a
Bloody MaryA Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt.-History:The origin of the...
.
History
Tomato juice was first served as a beverage in 1917 by
Louis Perrin-Biography:Perrin was born at Waterford on 15 Feb. 1782. His father was Jean Baptiste Perrin .Louis Perrin was educated at the diocesan school at Armagh. Removing to Trinity College, Dublin, he gained a scholarship there in 1799, and graduated B.A. in 1801...
at the
French Lick Springs HotelFrench Lick Resort is a resort complex located in the towns of West Baden and French Lick, Indiana. The complex includes two historic resort spa hotels, stables, a casino and three golf courses.-Casino:...
in southern
IndianaIndiana is a U.S. state, the 19
th admitted to the Union. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16
th in population and 17
th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38
th in land area, and is the...
, when he ran out of orange juice and needed a quick substitute. His combination of squeezed tomatos, sugar and his special sauce became an instant success as
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
businessmen spread the word about the tomato juice cocktail.
Production
Many commercial manufacturers of tomato juice also add
saltA salt, in chemistry, is an ionic compound, and can result from the neutralization reaction of acids and bases. Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
. Other ingredients are also often added, such as
onionOnion is a term used for many plants in the genus Allium. They are known by the common name "onion" but, used without qualifiers, it usually refers to Allium cepa. Allium cepa is also known as the "garden onion" or "bulb" onion...
powder,
garlicAllium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chive. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavor that...
powder, and other spices. The tomato juice known to most people is always boiled and thus is not available as a fresh product.
Health benefits
A recent small scale study has indicated that tomato juice contains a factor (dubbed P3) that inhibits platelets in
bloodBlood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells — such as nutrients and oxygen — and transports waste products away from those same cells....
from clumping together and forming blood clots. The authors suggest this might be beneficial to diabetes sufferers. The actual effect of increased intake of tomato juice by diabetics has never been studied.
Tomato juice also contains the
antioxidantAn antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which start chain reactions that damage cells...
lycopeneLycopene is a bright red carotene and carotenoid pigment and phytochemical found in tomatoes and other red fruits & vegetables, such as red carrots, watermelons and papayas...
which some people believe might protect against
cancerCancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis...
.
Uses of tomato juice
In
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, tomato juice is popular mixed with
beerBeer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...
, the concoction is known in Canada as
Calgary Red-EyeA Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt.-History:The origin of the...
and in Mexico as
Cerveza preparadaCerveza Preparada is a Mexican term for a mixed beer drink involving juices and/or sauces. In English cerveza preparada would be considered a beer cocktail, or a variety of shandy...
. Tomato juice is the base for the cocktails
Bloody MaryA Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt.-History:The origin of the...
and Bloody Caesar, and the cocktail mixer
ClamatoClamato is a trademark of the Mott's company which denotes a drink made primarily of water, reconstituted tomato juice concentrate, and high-fructose corn syrup. It is flavored with monosodium glutamate, spices, and a small amount of clam broth...
.
Apart from the obvious use as a beverage, tomato juice's mild
acidAn acid is traditionally considered any chemical compound that, when dissolved in water, gives a solution with a hydrogen ion activity greater than in pure water, i.e. a pH less than 7.0...
ity means that it can be used to clean up old coins or metal saucepans in much the same way as other acidic substances such as Coca Cola are used.
Tomato juice is frequently used as a packing liquid for
canned tomatoCanned tomatoes, or tinned tomatoes, are tomatoes, usually peeled, that are sealed into a can after having been processed by heat.-Variants:...
es, though it is sometimes replaced by
tomato pureeThe definitions of tomato purée vary between regions. In the USA Tomato purée is a processed food product, usually consisting of only tomatoes, but can also be found in pre-seasoned form...
for international commerce due to tariff issues on vegetables vs. sauces. According to
Cook's IllustratedCook’s Illustrated is a American cooking magazine published by Boston Common Press in Brookline, Massachusetts every two months. It accepts no advertising and is characterized by extensive recipe testing and detailed instructions; the magazine also conducts equally thorough evaluations of kitchen...
magazine, tomatoes packed in juice as opposed to puree tend to win taste tests, being perceived as fresher tasting.
The juice is also thought to be an effective cleaning agent against
skunkSkunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul-smelling odor. General appearance ranges from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
musk. Its effectiveness was tested on
MythBustersMythBusters is a popular science television program produced by Australian company Beyond Television Productions originally for the Discovery Channel in the United States. The series has since been distributed by a number of international broadcasters, including SBS in Australia and BBC2 in the UK...
and it was found to be "Plausible", though it may only work to mask the smell.
Tomato juice is used in the preparation of tomato juice
agarAgar or agar agar is a gelatinous substance derived from seaweed. Historically and in a modern context, it is chiefly used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Japan, but in the past century has found extensive use as a solid substrate to contain culture medium for microbiological work...
, used to culture various species of
LactobacillusLactobacillus is a genus of Gram-positive facultative anaerobic or microaerophilic bacteria. They are a major part of the lactic acid bacteria group, named as such because most of its members convert lactose and other sugars to lactic acid. They are common and usually benign...
.
For unknown reasons, Tomato juice is observed to be disproportionately popular among airline passengers. (The German Wikipedia entry for Tomato juice links several external sources about this. These sources suggest that this is an international phenomenon.)
In popular culture
- It is the official state beverage of Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
.
- In the VeggieTales
VeggieTales is a series of English language children's computer animated films featuring anthropomorphic vegetables. Developed by Big Idea, the films convey moral themes based on Christianity, often compatible with Judaism, spliced with satirical references to pop culture and current events...
episode "Moe and the Big Exit Moe and the Big Exit is the 31st episode in the VeggieTales series and is only available on DVD. Its lesson is on following directions. It is the first VeggieTales episode of 2007....
," Moe turns the river into tomato juice, which is a plague upon Dodgeball City.
- Tomato juice is a popular, and apparently viable (albeit temporary), substitute for blood in fiction involving vampires.
- Dante, the main character from the Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry is an action game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom in 2001 for the PlayStation 2...
franchise, primarily drinks tomato juice. This is most notable in the manga.