THE AMERICAN TABLE

Fried green tomatoes are an iconic Southern food. Right?

Not so fast. In 2011, food historian Robert, a book in which he debunked the idea that fried green tomatoes have deep roots in the South. In fact, the earliest references he could find to the dish were from turn-of-the-century cookbooks published in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. This makes sense if you think about it; there are a lot more green tomatoes up North, where the summer growing season is shorter and not every tomato gets a chance to ripen on the vine.