What's the Best-Tasting Heirloom Tomato? The results of the 2002 Tomatomania taste-testing are in! In the regional pages of the July/August 2002 issue of Fine Cooking, we featured Tomatomania, a Los Angeles event celebrating heirloom tomatoes. The number one best-tasting heirloom tomato at this year's tasting was 'Black Plum', followed closely by another black variety, 'Carbon', and 'Sweet Olive', a cherry tomato variety. Popular old-timer cherry 'Sungold' followed in fourth place. Here's the complete top 10!

   1. 'Black Plum'
   2. 'Carbon'
   3. 'Sweet Olive'
   4. 'Sungold'
   5. 'Goliath'
   6. 'Green Zebra'
   7. 'Odoriko'
   8. 'Paul Robeson'
   9. 'Goose Creek'
  10. 'Black Zebra

CHEF FOLSE'S FAVORITE TOMATO VARIETIES:

Golden Queen
Orange Strawberry
Brandywine Black
Hugh's
Mammoth German Gold
Yellow Brandywine
Mr. Stripey
German Red Strawberry
Super Marzano VFNT Hybrid
Costoluto Fiorentino
Super Snow White
Persimmon
Cherokee Purple
Anna Russian
Old Ivory Egg
Violaceum Krypni-Rozo
Orange Banana
Green Zebra
Carbon
Isis Candy
Sugar Snack NT Hybrid
Dr. Carolyn
Black Cherry
Banana Legs
Red Pear
Elberta Peach
Grape Tomato
Jersey Devil
Ukranian Pear
Sweet Cluster VFNT Hybrid
Yellow Pear