It’s round, red and has more Vitamin C than an orange. Touted as the next saffron, the humble bush tomato stole the show at this year’s Tomato Festival Sydney.
Delicious food stalls, cooking demonstrations and vegetable displays are just a few of the many things on at the popular Tomato Festival Sydney held at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.
This year the diversity of the tomato was showcased at the Longest Tomato Lunch with Michelin star chef, Luca Ciano leading the event with his culinary super skills and sweet tomato fig bruschetta.
Despite the delicious food and displays, the Festival also tells the story about the work that has been put into harvesting different tomato species to create so many unique dishes and their extraordinary health benefits.
The Tharawal Aboriginal Medical Service and Community Kitchen bush tucker cooking demonstration discussed preventative heart disease measures whilst grilling kangaroo sausages and creating their famous chutney made from the unique bush tomato native fruit.
This plum-sized tomato has optimal hot and dry growing conditions in Central Australia’s arid soil, providing farmers in the outback with a stable Vitamin C source.
A difficult tomato to grow, but the sweetest and hardest variety to access of its kind - it truly is an Aussie treat.
Who knew a fruit holding 95% of water could have so much flavour? Luca Ciano’s Longest Tomato Lunch held for the first time in The Calyx was an experience fit for a King (or Queen).
Luca Ciano expressed how much trial, and especially error went in constructing the dessert elements on the menu. The refreshing green-themed panna cotta and mini gelato cones were a testament to his experimentation, as everyone devoured the delicious treats whilst overlooking the stunning horticulture display, Plants with Bite and the largest living green wall in the southern hemisphere.
If you want to explore how far one ingredient can go, there is no food festival quite like this in Sydney.
Visitors can also learn about how to grow, store, cook, and eat heirloom, cherry, vine, Campari, Roma (you get the point) tomatoes in a sustainable and inventive way. Tomatoes are seen and tasted at their finest, all within the beautiful surrounds of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney right on the habour.