The tomato was considered poisonous in America until Robert Gibbon Johnson ate one on the steps of the Old Salem County Courthouse in 1820. A month later, he'd make a show of consuming two more items long thought toxic and unfit for human consumption: oysters and Orange Fanta.
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I think it was to do with plates being made of a certain metal, that when the acid from tomatoes comes in contact, it leeches unhealthy things from the metal. People just assumed it was the tomatoes causing problems and not the cutlery.
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The tomato IS a member of the nightshade family. So are tomatillos, potatoes, eggplants, all peppers, pimentos, paprika, red spices like chili, cayenne, and red pepper but not PEPPERCORNS (black, white, pink, green, etc). Belladonna is a nightshade & poisonous in high doses.
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Oysters I am not sure about. I read somewhere that Jefferson liked Oyster flavored ice cream
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