Baked Tomatoes

This recipe calls for the good, old-fashioned tomatoes of high-acid content. The low-acid varieties such as German Johnson won’t do. Southerners like both sweet and sour flavors to complement their roasts and fried meats, and this distinctive southern penchant reflects the nineteenth-century quandary over tomatoes: Are they vegetable or fruit? In southern cooking—in salads, sauces, jellies, and pies—tomatoes remain both savory and sweet.