Tomatoes lined up in supermarkets usually have smooth surfaces and, unless they're unripe or heirloom tomatoes, they're usually red. But of course, those are only the tomatoes that make it to the supermarket shelves. If you've grown tomatoes or seen them growing on the vine, then you probably know that Mother Nature sometimes throws a curveball.

Soga Farm 曽我農園 in Niigata Prefecture prize themselves on their delicious red tomatoes with high sugar levels, known in Japanese as フルーツトマト furūtsu tomato (fruit tomato). However, many Twitter users were surprised by the tomatoes they recently posted on their Twitter account. Maybe it's because of Halloween coming up, but they decided to show off some tomatoes with decidedly frightening shapes...

With strange green growths protruding from them, these tomatoes had Twitter users talking about how creepy they look. Some of the comments were:

  • "It looks like eyeballs popping out of a tomato!"
  • "The appearance of these tomatoes is horrific..."
  • "I'm not sure if I can eat that..."

"Well, how bad could it be," you may be thinking. Well, don't say we didn't warn you. Here are the tomatoes:

Reproduced with permission from Soga Farms 曽我農園 (@pasmal0220)

"Their appearance is gruesome but if you remove the green parts, there's no problem eating them. I personally recommend them."

According to Soga Farms, this is a physiological disorder not so uncommon in tomatoes, that has long been called でべそ debeso (protruding navel). It's caused by high summer temperatures. Usually, they're not sold in supermarkets because of their shape, but they're perfectly safe to eat and aren't inferior when it comes to taste (after you remove the green parts). Soga Farms guarantees it!

Reproduced with permission from Soga Farms 曽我農園 (@pasmal0220)

"Some may have a thicker core, but they are no different from regular tomatoes. I love harvesting these vegetables!"

And, as demonstrated in the photos Soga Farms posted below, when used as ingredients for grilled sandwiches or homemade ketchup, you can enjoy them without worrying at all!

Reproduced with permission from Soga Farms 曽我農園 (@pasmal0220)


By - grape Japan editorial staff.