April 1, 2005. Genetic engineers at the prestigious Genome Modification Laboratory (GML) of Vanguard University in Lirpa, Delaware, announced today that they are releasing ‘Chilmato 7-3', a hybrid between a New Mexican pod type chile variety and an heirloom tomato called ‘Striped Cavern’. The seeds will be marketed under the brand name “Spicy Chilmato.”  We had a chance to get our hands on some rare GML Chilmato preview seed, released in 2004. Here are the results.

“I have sampled the fruits we grew and they are deliciously spicy,” said the GML chief scientist on the project, Dr. Jean Splicer. “It’s your own salsa on the bush.”

Splicer said that her team worked for three years on the project, not using traditional breeding techniques, but rather genetic modification whereby genes from one plant are moved into another by means of a benign virus. Because chile peppers and tomatoes are both members of the family Solanaceae, the procedure took less time than originally estimated. The release of the hybrid has caused speculation that other Solanaceous plants might be cross-bred, like eggplants with chiles or tomatoes. “Tobacco is in the same family, too, but I don’t think that we’ll be smoking chile cigarettes anytime soon,” said Splicer.

The fruit of the Chilmato hybrid is shaped like you would expect if you photoshopped an elongated pod onto a round tomato. Since the “Striped Cavern’ variety of tomato has rigid internal walls much like a chile pod, the melding of the two works well, said Splicer, and the placement of the capsaicin glands in the hybrid is identical to where they are inside chile pods, on the stem end of the placental tissue.

We interviewed food manufacturer Will Burner about the possibilities for commercial use of the Chilmato. “I’m coming out with a full line of Chilmato products, including a spicy marinara sauce, a ketchup, a bloody mary mix, and several other chile-tomato combos that I can’t tell you about,” said Burner. He expects to launch the line at the 2006 National Fiery Foods and Barbecue Show.

Recipe

Chilmato Salsa

Photo courtesy Genome Modification Laboratory

The Genome Modification Laboratory has released the first Chilmato recipe, which we have exclusive rights to publish.

• 4 large red Chilmatos, chopped fine

• 1 medium onion, chopped fine

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro or Italian parsley

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Cover and let sit at room temperature to blend all the flavors. Serve with organic tortilla chips.

Yield: 2 cups

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