Italians called it: The golden apple. The French called it: The apple of love. We call it: The tomato. More and more people call it: SAVOURA The tomato came from South America, where it was discovered by Europeans on their first voyages to the continent. In fact, our word tomato comes from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs, who referred to it as the tomalt. Although the conquistadors discovered the tomato in Mexico towards the end of the 15th century and brought it to Europe right away, the belief that it was poisonous kept it from being fashionable there until the 18th century. Within 100 years, though, it had also become a popular crop in North America. Currently, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Morocco and Spain are the world leaders in tomato production. The tomato, which grows on bushy, sometimes climbing plants, is the world's most popular vegetable. In all, there are now over 1000 varieties.