Spain has filled Europe with excellent tomatoes that do not know anything. It’s time to step further

The story is known: last year, the reputed French socialist policy Ségolène Royal gave a television interview in BFM.TV in which I accused Spanish tomatoes of being “false bio”to “deceive the consumer” and come to say that they were “surable.” Government, agricultural associations and personalities Like Jose Andrés They went out in Tromba to defend the Spanish product.

So and today, the controversy should be to ask ourselves if there is something to learn from all this.

But let’s start with the obvious. Spanish tomatoes are excellent. For decades, in fact, Spain has been the international reference of this product, and doing so is not easy. Remember that tomato is the fruit and vegetable culture more valuable What world. Only in 2021 they were consumed in the world More than 189 million of metric tons and represents 31% of all the vegetables that occur in Europe.

That is, there is a lot of money in the tomato and there are many countries behind that money. Spain would not have been for years One of the great exporters of tomatoes from the world, nor would it have conquered all European markets, without extremely high quality and standards. Well know in Almería that a small failure It takes you out of the market in a matter of days.

The kings of tomato … commercial. In fact, if we go down to detail, Spain nails three main types of best -selling tomatoes internationally: the balls, the Saladette and the cocktail. Within these typologies, the varieties of the Spanish field continue to excel in color, size and useful life. The problem is not that. The problem has never been that.

The problem is that we have given Europe (and the rest of the world) just what they wanted: colorful tomatoes, good size and easy to handle “post-recreational.” And we have done it at a good price. That is, we have given them the best possible commercial tomatoes. The problem is that these tomatoes do not know Tomate.

And commercial tomatoes lost the taste. In 2017, a team of researchers from the University of Florida led by Harry Klee They analyzed 398 different varieties of tomatoes with the idea of ​​tracing the genetic bases of their organoleptic qualities. His conclusions were that, while the smell-for-the balance of fruits such as banana and strawberry depend on a single volatile compound (or very few), “the tomato needs about 25 different compounds to build its unmistakable organoleptic identity. “

The composition. That are dozens of amino acids, sugars and well -balanced volatile compounds. A chemical balance that on the way to find better colors, sizes and durability, became something very difficult to maintain. And that, in fact, it has not been maintained: it is a common place to say that the tomatoes no longer know tomato, but the investigation He supports it. According to Klee and his team, commercial varieties only have 13 of the 25 volatile compounds that give the smell of tomato.

There is life beyond commercial varieties. Faced with these varieties of great views, productivity and durability, we have other types of tomatoes: what is called ‘Heirloom’ (of ‘inheritance’ or ‘family relic’). A tailor drawer to talk about local or regional varieties, with little circulation, whose development process has allowed them to maintain a well-balanced flavor.

It is not a miracle. We talk about less productive tomatoes (the plant can ensure more sugar in each fruit) and that, being little resistant to post-harvest handling “, have shorter distribution chains that allow greater maturation in Mata. That is, their technical limitations play against their commercialization, but in favor of their flavor.

As is obvious, Spain is full of tomatoes of this type. Not only Barbastro’s pink tomato or Tudela’s ugly, no. The list is endless: the Montgrí de Girona, the Cor de Bou, the Mutxamel of Alicante, the Galician monfortes, the Avoa de Osdo, the tomatoes of the Sierra de la Culebra, the black tomato safe, the Mallorcan Valldemassa and a long etc. . No one in their healthy judgment can bite a well -matured mutxamel and take seriously that Spanish tomatoes do not know anything.

I don’t know if Ségolène Royal compared a Spanish commercial tomato with A French Heirloom variety or simply I was doing politicsbut it is true that beyond all The inaccuracies and tone outputsthere is something interesting about what we can reflect as a country.

Spain and the tomatoes of the future. In 2022 and for the first time in history, Moroccan tomato sold more than Spanish. And not a little: sold 21.3%. Gradually, the United Kingdom and especially France have begun to replace Spanish tomatoes for those from the other side of the Strait. There are many reasons behind this, but few solutions.

And, although Spain is still very strong in the rest of Europe and is opening a hole in the North American market, the ‘sorpasso’ is a warning to navigators. The regulatory advantage of belonging to the EU is getting rid And what we started to see is an agricultural giant with mud feet.

And it’s time to take it seriously. We know that to continue being an international reference in the sector we will have to launch one of the “agricultural transformations” more important in history, the question is whether we take advantage of our competitive advantage to lead these changes or engage in an international war that We don’t seem like we can win.

Image | Josephine Baran

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*An earlier version of this article was published in February 2024