Specialized literature such as Andrew F Smith's "The Tomato in America" states that tomatoes probably originated in the highlands of the west coast of south America.
It was used by the Aztecs as early as 500 b.C., in southern Mexico and adjacent areas, and they preferred the smaller cherry-like tomatoes. The larger, lumpy variant is believed to have been selected in central America after a spontaneous mutation, and it's probably the ancestor of all the modern cultivars.
Today's varieties of tomatoes originate from two main predecessors: currant tomatoes and "Matt's Wild Cherry" varieties. They both originate from the native tomato plants in eastern Mexico.
After the american colonization by the Spaniards, tomatoes were quickly spread to all their caribbean colonies, and were later moved to the Philippines, where they spread to many different regions in Asia. By 1540, there are the first reported cultivations in Europe, where the Mediterranean climate was ideal.
Sources report that at first, being the tomato in the same family of the poisonous plant "nightshade", it was considered toxic or poisonous. They were not totally wrong, since tomato leaves and stems do contain poisonous glycoalkaloids, even though the fruit is safe.
Shortly after though, people recognized its safety and sweet taste, and by 1600 it was widely eaten in Spain. In 1692 the first cookbook containing tomatoes was published in Naples, although many recipes seem to have originated from Spain.
The plant was largely used as an ornamental feature, especially in Tuscany and central Italy in general. In Florence, for example, tomatoes were used as tabletop decoration and made their way into the local cuisine only in the late 17th century.
The first literature reference dates back to the Herbal, published in 1597 by a barber-surgeon named John Gerard.
He was one of the first cultivators and believed the plant was poisonous, despite knowing that Italians and Spaniards had been eating tomatoes for years. His works were later largely copied in Europe, and this increased Gerard's influence over the masses: tomatoes were considered inedible for many years in English speaking areas.
In the 18th century, the Encyclopaedia Britannica reported tomatoes as being used daily in soups and broths, and consumption of tomatoes rapidly increased during the century, reaching their peak in the Victorian age, when large-scale production was widespread in glasshouses, most famously in Worthing.
The tomato industry lasted until the 1900, moving to areas with a lower cost-per-acre like Littlehampton and Chichester.
The British tomato industry saw a substantial decline at the end of the 20th century due to increased cost competition by Spain and the Netherlands.
The earliest literary references date back to 1710, when the famous herbalist William Salmon saw them in the modern South Carolina.
It is thought that they were introduced to British North America from the Caribbean: by the 18th century there were many cultivations around the Carolina region and south-eastern regions.
Like in Europe, most people initially used tomatoes as ornamental features or tabletops, due to concerns about their toxicity. Thomas Jefferson, after eating tomatoes in Paris, reportedly sent some seeds back to America.
According to the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation, the whole world produces around 125 million tons of tomatoes per year, with the top producers being: