Cherry tomato
Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme
Sweet with bright acidity; Sungold cultivar exceptionally sweet; flavor holds in greenhouse production better than larger tomatoes.
About Cherry
Cherry tomatoes are the small, intensely-flavored tomato cultivars that became the year-round salad and snacking tomato of contemporary American food culture. The defining feature is consistent quality: cherry tomatoes hold flavor across seasons far better than larger varieties because greenhouse production (especially Dutch and Spanish operations) succeeds with small-fruited cultivars where it fails with beefsteaks. Subtypes include grape tomatoes (oblong), Sungold (orange, exceptional sweetness), and standard round cherry. The defining culinary uses are raw — salads, snacking, garnishing — but slow-roasting cherry tomatoes with olive oil and garlic creates an intensely concentrated pasta sauce component.
Variety profile
Common uses
- Salad component
- Snacking
- Pasta-tossing roasted
- Pizza/flatbread topping
- Skewer/kebab
Editorial notes
Sungold orange cherry tomato is widely considered the best-tasting cherry cultivar — search farmers markets for them in late summer.