Remembering History: The wealthier families of the 1500s had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead from these plates to leach out onto the food, causing lead poisoning and sometimes death. This poisoning happened most frequently with tomatoes. So, for approximately the next 400 years, most people considered tomatoes to be poisonous.

The wealthier families of the 1500s had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead from these plates to leach out onto the food, causing lead poisoning and sometimes death. This poisoning happened most frequently with tomatoes. So, for approximately the next 400 years, most people considered tomatoes to be poisonous.

The wealthier families of the 1500s had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead from these plates to leach out onto the food, causing lead poisoning and sometimes death. This poisoning happened most frequently with tomatoes. So, for approximately the next 400 years, most people considered tomatoes to be poisonous.