Turkish Tomatoes

Browse and shop for Turkish tomatoes. Some of these traditional tomato seeds have been stewarded by small communities in specific regions in Turkey. Others have been grown in home gardens and homesteads widely across the country, generation upon generation. These Turkish tomatoes reflect the significance of seed stewardship in Turkey. They also manifest the incredible diversity and richness of kitchen traditions, flavors, texture, and colors of food crops, among other traits, in the country.

Tomatoes are native to South America. According to Prof. Arif Bilgin’s archival research, tomatoes appeared at farmers’ markets during Ottoman Empire’s reign as early as 1692. Despite the fact that, their history in Turkey is relatively new, they quickly became a stable food crop across the country.

Tomatoes are used in various ways in Turkey. You can find some of these ways below:

• Grilling
• Making sauces and paste
• Stews and stuffing recipes
• Making kebab

In our catalog, we also offer Turkish tomatoes which were bred as part of commercial plant breeding efforts in the 20th century in Turkey. These seeds can be more commonly found at farmers’ markets across the country. It is still possible to find these seeds in Turkish commercial seed catalogs. However, many of them are also disappearing from these catalogs due to unacceptable seed laws and regulations that force farmers to become dependent on hybrid and patented seeds. Hence, it is also one of our goals to offer these now commercially rare Turkish tomatoes to pass on their genetically powerful traits that also acknowledge and intersect traditions.

In addition, you will also find here the tomato seeds from our culturally appropriate plant breeding and seed selection efforts.