So I have some food sensitivity issues and in particular I don’t like raw tomato. They’re gooey and seedy and they just make me feel kind of weird. Unfortunately there are a lot of things, especially sandwiches, which use tomato as a fairly critical part of the flavor of the dish. So just taking it out isn’t ideally because it sometimes just makes the dish bland. I feel like processed tomato things like ketchup and tomato sauce don’t really fulfill the same kind of role in these dishes.
Does anyone have any opinions/suggestions on what types of foods could plausibly be used as a substitute for raw tomato? It could be anywhere, but I’m thinking of things like sandwiches, salads, etc.
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Cucumbers or radishes?
You don’t like the texture or the taste? use cherry tomato, they’re much sweeter, more flavorful and have more flesh/water ratio so so theyre less wattery (or a plum tomato) An alternative is to incorporate as a spread make a fresh salsa, or a red pesto you’ll get tomato flavor without weird texture.
Husband also hates mealy and watery tomatoes and my only solution so far was home grown paste tomatoes, like san marzano type tomatoes. Much less watery overall.
To-mah-to
I love tomato myself, but if I couldn’t have it for some reason or my tongue betrayed me one day, I’m thinking lightly pickled eggplant might get close to the same niche.
I can’t tell if you actually have an allergy or just don’t like them. There are a lot of different tomatoes so I’d explore those including Tomatillos if you aren’t allergic. If you are allergic. I’d start looking at persimmons, zucchini, eggplant, maybe peppinos even some more mild apples. Don’t go for “sweet or tart”.
Bacon
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Tomatoes provide acidity/sweetness, depth, and moisture, so anything thing or combination of things that provide that can substitute. Pickles provide acidity and moisture, but not the rest. Mayo & mustard mixed kinda gets you in the ballpark. Red bell pepper provides brightness and sweetness… Start trying things along those lines to begin with.
Persimmon.
Tomatoes are mildly acidic, so something similar should get you an approximation of the flavor. Pickled onions might be a good choice, or some other lightly pickled fruit/veg (maybe beets for salad). Actual dill pickles are not going to be too acidic to be a good substitute (but are a great thing to put on sandwiches in addition to tomato anyway).
Pineapple might work in some cases, but it has a strong flavor and sweetness that won’t work everywhere a tomato does. Salsas are a good place for this as a tomato substitute (along with mango and corn), but pineapple does also work well in some sandwiches.
I support beets as a substitute. Roasted they are sweeter with almost no acidity, while pickled would hit most of the tomato notes.
red bell pepper
Poblano, you heathen.
Especially roasted
If it’s a texture thing, have you tried all the tomato varieties? Like Roma tomatoes have very little seed and pulp, cherry tomatoes are kind of like grapes, and I’ve even tried some obscure varieties that make me question what a tomato is.
If that doesn’t work, I’m honestly having a hard time thinking about a substitute for a tomato. They are pretty unique.
Any recollection of what the obscure ones you had were?
I don’t know how many varieties are really an option from the grocery store. Farmers markets are probably better but I didn’t realize how many options there were or how different they can be till I started growing them. Definitely recommend slicer varieties for sandwiches but honestly they have been my favorite for everything.
I recently bought some msg. Tasting it by itself reminds me of tomatoes - like a tomato with no sugar and no juice. Haven’t really used it at all yet but based on that I might try mixing it with mayo or even just sprinkling it on a sandwich (with or without tomato on it).
Well, for sandwiches you can put them tomatoes-up under a broiler for a few minutes. You’ll still have tomatoes, but they won’t be raw. It improves the texture and deepens the flavor significantly.
Raw tomato is has the slight crunchy sensation and fresh mouthfeel of many raw fruits/veggies, and the flavours are mostly acidic, sweet and unami. I don’t know what else might set off your sensitivity issues, but I think some options might be pickles, or fresh cucumber slices dressed with nice vinegar. Or use a combination, like iceberg lettuce for crunch and some relish or chutney for flavour.
Sounds like the issue is texture rather than taste, so the obvious answer is cherry tomatoes because they don’t have anywhere near as much pith. However, thinking about the role the tomato plays, it’s kind of a juicy sweetener with some vegetative notes, so now I’m thinking maybe slices of certain green apple varieties, maybe with something very vegetal, like a leafy green, or maybe a kolrabi, or less so with some spinach or sprouts? Experiment if you have the time and money. Lots of flavors to play with.
