The nightshade tomato has become the lifeblood of Italian food all over the world; where would pizza ever be without it? Yet though it adapted so well to Italian soil and palates, the tomato is native to the Americas, and was first cultivated by its indigenous people.

I grew up in an Italian-American family and community, and I never even knew that Columbus Day was supposed to be an Italian-American holiday. It was a day off and paper cutouts of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria; feasts and celebrations were saved for San Gennaro and Saint Anthony. Now I know, and statues of Columbus come down in my own city and elsewhere. We Italians have no need to recognize ourselves with this holiday. Today instead of Columbus, I celebrate Indigenous People’s Day, and the cultivators of the golden, gorgeous tomato. -J