Differences Between Tomatoes & Creole Tomatoes

Tradition

• Unlike other tomato varieties, there is no specific plant breed that defines a Creole. Louisiana State University once attempted to market a particular breed as a Creole, but the experiment didn't last long. In Louisiana, local tradition, not science, defines the food's characteristics.

Only in Louisiana

• Like a "Jersey tomato," which only comes from New Jersey, a Creole only comes from southern Louisiana. Several sources have described the Creole requiring soil that is "just right." A vague term for sure, but interestingly enough, Louisiana has still embraced the Creole Tomato as its official state vegetable plant (not to be confused with Louisiana's state vegetable, which is the sweet potato). Not even the fact that tomatoes are technically fruits has deterred that honor.

Corona

• The Creole tomato's outstanding physical characteristic is its corona, or crown-like calyx. Although the Creole also has also been described as "sweet" and "robust," the "imposing corona," must remain atop the tomato for it to be called a Creole. As one writer put it, "No corona? Not a Creole."

Never Gassed

• Industrial farms in Florida usually pick tomatoes when they're green. However, tomatoes off the vine don't ripen naturally. They are instead transported while still green and exposed to ethylene gas in a warehouse. This gas, which ripening tomatoes produce naturally, changes the tomato's color but doesn't improve its dull flavor. Creole tomatoes, are never gassed, giving them a much more distinct flavor.