Tomatoes were first cultivated in 700 AD by the Aztecs and Incas. Explorers returning from Mexico introduced the tomato into Europe, where it was first mentioned in 1556. The French called it "the apple of love", the Germans "the apple of paradise".
In 1983 the Supreme Court determined that under U.S. law, the tomato must be regarded as a vegetable. The lawsuit was filed by an importer who refused to pay import tax on his tomatoes. At that time, vegetables were subject to import tax but fruit was not.
