Introduced into Europe by the Spaniards, the tomate remains one of the most important ingredients in Spanish cuisine and one of the country’s key exports.

Over 10,000 different varieties of tomato are recorded to have been cultivated with 10% of those in Spain with each citizen comsuming an average of 13 kilos a year.

Leading varieties

• Marglobe: the most commony available in shops, it is used in gazpacho because of its colour, flesh and size and because it does not have too many seeds.

• Pera: Pear-shaped tomatoes that are quite sweet and are often tinned and used for sauces.

• Andine Cornue: shaped like a pepper, these tasty tomatoes are often used in salads.

• Raf: widely grown in Almería, this meaty tomato has a greenish skin but a pink flesh and is increasingly popular in salads.