Costa Rica's Tomatoe War Tomorrow

Calling on all tomatoe lovers, the annual Tomatoe Fest "VI Feria Nacional del Tomate" in Trojas de Valverde Vega, Alajuela, kicked off on Friday.

The event includes the sale of typical Costa Rican foods and contests, all with a tomatoe theme.

On Sunday, at 3pm, the traditional "guerra de los tomates" (tomatoe war) is the focus of the event.

The fair is aking to Spain's La Tomatina (Valencian pronunciation: [la tomaˈtina]), a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol, in which participants throw tomatoes at each other. It is held the last Wednesday in August, during the week of festivities of Buñol.

Trojas is near Sarchi, northwest of Grecia.

If you cannot find it on the map, just point your car in the direction of Sarchi and then follow the trail of people headed to fight the war with tomatoes. If that doesn't help, just ask "donde es el tometazo?"

The tomatoe, tomato, a fruit or vegetable?

For those of you who don't know what a tomatoe is, Wikipedia describes it as "a savory, typically red, edible fruit, as well as the plant (Solanum lycopersicum) which bears it".

Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler climates.

The tomato fruit is consumed in diverse ways, including raw, as an ingredient in many dishes and sauces, and in drinks. While it is botanically a fruit, it is considered a vegetable for culinary purposes (as well as by the United States Supreme Court, see Nix v. Hedden), which has caused some confusion. The fruit is rich in lycopene, which may have beneficial health effects.
The tomato belongs to the nightshade family. The plants typically grow to 1–3 metres (3–10 ft) in height and have a weak stem that often sprawls over the ground and vines over other plants. It is a perennial in its native habitat, although often grown outdoors in temperate climates as an annual.