Tomato plants are vines, largely annual and vulnerable to frost, though sometimes living longer in greenhouses. The flowers are able to self-fertilise. Modern varieties have been bred to ripen uniformly red, in a process that has impaired the fruit's sweetness and flavor. There are thousands of cultivars, varying in size, color, shape, and flavor. Tomatoes are attacked by many insect pests and nematodes, and are subject to diseases caused by viruses and by mildew and blight fungi.

​

The tomato has a strong savoury umami flavor, and is an important ingredient in cuisines around the world. It is used in pizzas, pasta sauces, soups such as gazpacho, curries including dhansak and rogan josh, as juice, and in Bloody Mary cocktails. Tomato festivals are held annually in Buñol, Spain, in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, and in Närpes, Finland.