They have names that evoke mysteries and great adventures - Livingston's Magnum, Egyptian Tom, Golden Queen. These are only three of the 652 varieties of tomatoes safeguarded in the Bourdaisiere castle in Touraine (France). A real kingdom for this vegetable, which can be found all over out planet. Though, here, all of them are organic and, in terms of taste, have little to do with those that can be found in supermarkets.
Nicolais Toutain explained that, "in supermarkets, we mostly find bunch tomatoes as they all ripen together whereas, once upon a time, they ripened one after the other- and that is precisely what happens at the castle."
The founder of the vegetable plot is prince Louis Albert de Broglie, also known as the gardener.
Once ripe, these tomatoes become juices, sauces, soups and desserts. Each has its own unique characteristics and therefore is used for different products, which visitors can taste on site or take home.