Our Curried Fried Green Tomato Sandwich Is Early Fall Picnic-Worthy - Tasting Table

"Unripe green tomatoes are harvested at the end of the season, just as the weather chills into fall, and contrary to common perception, the use of unripe green tomatoes in recipes was born not in the South, but in the northern states where the seasons change before all of the tomatoes turn to red. While today we know fried green tomatoes as a Southern staple, the crunchy delicacy was actually first made by Jewish immigrants decades before ever appearing in the South."

"Coating the tomatoes in batter and frying them till crunchy became a brilliant way to use the firm, tart harvest without needing to wait for them to ripen - or worse, needing to throw them away. Knowing the history of fried green tomatoes is also a good way to understand their unique variety of uses. They were originally eaten as a breakfast food, and the crunchy, cornmeal-coated tomatoes can be eaten at any time of day as a snack, entree, or side."

"Especially delicious in sandwiches like BLTs, the beefy tomatoes add a savory, crunchy element that works well between layers of soft bread. In this recipe, written with developer Michelle McGlinn, the tomatoes are coated in a curry-flavored breading and fried, then paired with a cucumber-raita coleslaw and stacked onto soft onion rolls. The warm, earthy, savory-sweet Indian-inspired flavor perfectly complements the juicy tartness of the end-of-summer bounty, making this sandwich worthy of early fall picnicking."

Unripe green tomatoes are harvested as weather cools and were first used in northern states by Jewish immigrants to preserve firm, tart fruit. Frying battered green tomatoes produced a crunchy savory dish that later became associated with the South. Fried green tomatoes functioned as breakfast, snack, entree, or side and complement sandwiches like BLTs with a savory crunch. The showcased recipe coats tomatoes in curry-flavored breading, fries them until crunchy, and tops them with a cucumber-raita coleslaw on soft onion rolls. Raita and slaw ingredients include cucumbers, red onion, Greek yogurt, mustard powder, cumin, salt, and shredded cabbage.

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