# Types of Tomatoes URL: https://tastessence.com/food-facts-kitchen-tips/types-of-tomatoes Category: Food Facts & Kitchen Tips Published: 2010-12-24T00:48:00 Updated: 2026-08-05T12:58:35 Different types of tomatoes can be used to enhance the color and flavor of a dish. Leaf through this article which presents a list of various varieties of tomatoes. Also get to know which tomatoes are suitable for making tomato sauce. Scroll down... These days, countless varieties of tomatoes are available in market. They are classified according to the days required to ripen or according to color, size, shape and flavor. Weather, sunlight, soil and growing period play an important role in growing tomatoes indoors. Given below is a list of types of tomatoes and the time required for them to ripen. ### Tomato Varieties to Grow in Your Backyard **Name of the Variety** **Days Needed to Mature** Airyleaf 75 Alaska 72 Al-Kuffa 70 Amish Paste 85 Ananas Noire 80 Anna Russian 65 Aunt Gertie’s Gold 75 Aunt Ginny’s Purple Heirloom 79 Banana Legs 75 Beauty 80 Bella Rosa 75 Better Bush 68 Big Beef VFFNTA Hybrid 73 Big Boy Hybrid 78 Black Cherry 65 Black Ethiopian 80 Black from Tula 75 Black Krim 75 Black Moor Grape 75 Black Pearl 65 Black Prince 70 Black Sea Man 75 Black Truffle 75 Black Zebra 80 Box Car Willie 80 Cherokee Purple 72 Polbig 60 Super Fantastic 70 Supersteak 80 ### Tomato Types How many species of tomatoes are there? The answer is ‘innumerable’. They come in various sizes and colors. The word ‘tomato’ creates a picture of red tomato before our eyes, but they can be yellow, purple, green and black. There can be a combination of two or more colors, and some tomatoes can even have stripes. Within each specific type and variety of tomato, there exist innumerable number of sub-types. Some of the major types of tomatoes are described below. - _Beefsteak Tomatoes_: These are big tomatoes which are used for cooking, salad decoration or for various garnishes. Normally, a beefsteak tomato weighs around one pound, but it may weigh over two pounds also! - _Cherry Tomatoes_: There are many varieties of cherry tomatoes. These tomatoes are as small as a cherry and are slightly sour in taste. They are usually added to salads, or can be eaten as such. - _Currant Tomatoes_: These are as small as a pea, and they are known for their peculiar strong flavor. They are widely used in salads. You may use them for garnishing as well. Dietitians recommend their use, as they offer more health benefits than other tomato varieties. - _Globe Tomatoes_: This is the most common variety. These are medium-sized tomatoes which are commonly used for cooking. Sliced globe tomatoes are used in hamburgers and all types of fast foods, including tomato soup recipes. You can enjoy tomato soup or salted slices with lunch or dinner. - _Grape Tomatoes_: These tomatoes are shaped like grapes. The size also matches well with grapes. They are sweeter than most other varieties, and you can add them to salads or other vegetables. - _Pear Tomatoes_: As the name suggests, they look like a pear. But they are almost like cherry tomatoes, if size is taken into consideration. They are eaten as a snack or can be used as an ingredient of a salad. - _Plum Tomatoes_: These are oblong shaped tomatoes. They are comparatively thicker than other varieties, and have less seeds. This is one of the reasons, they are considered as the best types of tomatoes for sauce. They are used to make tomato paste too. Roma is the most popular variety of plum tomatoes. This is one of the best varieties of tomatoes that is used for canning. You can grow plum tomatoes easily in containers. Other tomato species that can be grown in containers are Better Boy, Ace, Early Girl, Pixie, Sweet 100 and Red Cherry. Summer is the season when tomatoes are abundant in the market. These days, in warmer regions, tomatoes are grown year round.