435681 Mon Aug 27 21:59:37 -0700 2007 18 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 2888155 The Chowhound Team moved this general discussion about Israeli tomatoes from the L.A. board. If anyone has a specific local source to recommend, please start a new thread on the L.A. board. * * * * * * A couple of times while watching "The Barefoot Contessa", she used Israeli tomatoes in recipes. I never heard of them before. I've never seen them in stores or at farmer's markets. I know she's in The Hampton's and I'm in L. A. Have you ever seen them out here? If so, where? Thank you. Mon Aug 27 21:59:37 -0700 2007 71206 Barbara Ladden 1 2888194 Barbara, here-- ask Daniel Rogov, food columnist for HaAretz-- I'm sure he'll tell you. http://www.stratsplace.com/forum.html But it doesn't seem at all likely that tomatoes would actually be shipped from Israel to California. Do you mean something like the Israeli Galia melon that is now popular here? Mon Aug 27 22:41:27 -0700 2007 2888155 17062 wearybashful 2 2888229 You do occasionally see Israeli tomatoes in New York, and presumably other eastern states, out of season. Here, of course, the season for at least tolerable tomatoes is somewhat longer, and Mexican tomatoes come in to fill the void instead. Unless I'm terribly mistaken, there's nothing special about them. Mon Aug 27 23:14:28 -0700 2007 2888194 10702 condiment 3 2891669 I agree...had these a few time and it's not a big deal...same as all other hot house tomatoes. If you want something special get home grown tomatoes....can not beat the taste. The deal with Israeli tomatoes is MARKETING....nothing else nothing more.... Tue Aug 28 23:26:24 -0700 2007 2888229 19117 Pollo 2 2899154 Wearybashful, and everyone else who replied promptly to my question, thank you very much for all of the interesting info, and how nice it is to hear from Chowhounders around the world. My question was removed by The Team so quickly, we might have missed eachother. Thu Aug 30 22:41:50 -0700 2007 2888194 71206 Barbara Ladden 2 2899177 I haven't heard of Israeli Galia melon, but I'll certainly look for it. Thank you. Thu Aug 30 22:59:49 -0700 2007 2888194 71206 Barbara Ladden 3 2899190 Barbara, Galia melons were developed in Israel but are now grown in California. That's why i wondered if the Israeli tomato was a hybrid type now grown in California. The link I posted is to a food and wine forum which includes Israelis posting in English, and I'm sure they'd be helpful concerning where the tomatoes are grown and such. Thu Aug 30 23:22:22 -0700 2007 2899177 17062 wearybashful 1 2889030 Basically it is the best imported tomato available to her when tomatoes are out of season in the Hamptons. Local tomatoes will always be better, especially since we are in peak tomato season...get thee to a farmer's market. Tue Aug 28 08:47:29 -0700 2007 2888155 10099 JudiAU 2 2889106 This is the 2006 list of major exporters of fresh tomatoes to the US, by decreasing volume of exports: 1) Mexico 2) Canada 3) Netherlands 4) Belgium 5) Dominican Republic 6) Israel I've seen Israeli cases of tomatoes occasionally in L.A. As the other posters said, nothing really special, just mass produced goods. No comparison with local farmer's market produce. Tue Aug 28 09:09:41 -0700 2007 2889030 28703 RicRios 3 2889943 I dunno. First time I ever tasted an Israeli tomato I wasn't sure I was eating a tomato at all. It had an amazing taste. Not bland or sort of tomato-y. But real taste and delicious. No tomatoes have ever tasted like that here. No matter how vine-ripened. Tue Aug 28 12:22:57 -0700 2007 2889106 65821 Golem 1 2889957 The are by far the best tomatoes around. I am in Maryland, and used to see them in the wintertime. Haven't seen them since Israel left Gaza two years ago, but a friend recently said he'd seen them. I hope so. Tue Aug 28 12:26:38 -0700 2007 2888155 122857 bigfoodlover 1 2892648 Doesn't Israel provide an enormous amount of the produce sold at EU markets in Winter? Much of it from greenhouses? Wed Aug 29 09:20:13 -0700 2007 2888155 32444 MakingSense 2 2892664 "enormous amount " ... Not too sure re. EU As far as USA is concerned, Israel provides less than 1% of fresh tomato imports. Wed Aug 29 09:24:29 -0700 2007 2892648 28703 RicRios 2 2892743 Here in Spain we don't see much Israeli produce at all... I do remember seeing Israeli avocados when I lived in Spain... Incidentally, the best tomatoes (tomates raf, grown in Spain) are available in the winter here. They are insanely flavorful. Wed Aug 29 09:39:24 -0700 2007 2892648 10661 butterfly 3 2899373 I meant that I saw Israeli avocados when I lived in France... Here in Spain, I believe they are domestic. Fri Aug 31 04:30:18 -0700 2007 2892743 10661 butterfly 2 2892808 "Doesn't Israel provide an enormous amount of the produce sold at EU markets in Winter? Much of it from greenhouses?" The Netherlands have a scary amount of acreage (yes, acreage) "under glass," and supply a huge amount of live plants and fresh produce to Europe (and the US), but I didn't think Israel did. They may supply large amounts of certain things -- like citrus maybe? - but I'd be surprised if they supply a very large percentage of basic "produce." Wed Aug 29 09:52:55 -0700 2007 2892648 11980 MikeG 3 2893538 A little quick research...as a percentage of their total exports, agricultural products are fairly small, only about 5%, but for their ag sector, it's significant. Israel's farmers derive about half of their income from agricultural exports by focusing on items such as flowers, avocados, out-of-season vegetables and certain exotic fruits are produced specifically for export. The EU is the closest major market. The US gets some but since they're such a small producer compared to other trading partners, they're not much more than a blip in our import numbers. Wed Aug 29 12:34:30 -0700 2007 2892808 32444 MakingSense 4 2899544 Yeah, that was the kind of thing I had in mind when I theorized citrus might be a (relatively) big item in terms of the European supply - they just don't have the conditions for large-scale ag export of basic produce though - "miracles" etc. notwithstanding, it's basically a desert country after all. What they do export are basically "greenhouse" crops being grown where the infrastructure doesn't have to be as all-encompassing - kind of like big orchid growers in Hawaii taking advantage of the relative cheapness of "tweaking" native conditions rather than having to supplant them entirely -- like growing tomatoes in northern Europe during the Winter or growing lettuce, cucumbers, and watermelon in a desert. LOL Fri Aug 31 06:30:01 -0700 2007 2893538 11980 MikeG 5 2899767 I believe most citrus and a lot of other produce in Europe come from Spain (which includes the tropical climate of the Canary Islands, known for its delicious bananas). Spain has such a diverse climate that even kiwis, chirimoya, loquats, avocados, winter tomatoes, etc. grow well here. We also get certain, more exotic items from South Africa and Columbia/Ecuador. Fri Aug 31 07:42:07 -0700 2007 2899544 10661 butterfly