Since my arrival to Seville, I have become absolutely obsessed with tomatoes. Back home I never touched the ghastly fruits. Here, I can't get enough of them they're everywhere; lurking in my ensalada mixta, smeared on my morning tostada with garlic and olive oil, or smuggled into a delicious lamb casserole or rabbit stew. This new found passion of mine has, however, been a slow to develop and almost natural progression into obsession like an unavoidable, prescribed fate.

You must excuse my ignorance, but the problem before, I think, was this that my first introduction to tomatoes was in England (and here I must point out that I am actually from London, where the sun hardly ever shines and the chances of having a flowerbox, let alone a garden, to grow your own tomatoes in are slim to none). The tomatoes you get in England are, lets face it, hard, woody, and pretty damned tasteless when compared to their Mediterranean counterparts. So, added to the fact that Spain is believed to have the highest annual consumption of fresh tomatoes in the world (currently measured at around 40kg per head), I am slowly beginning to understand how this all happened.

Brought back to Spain by the conquistadores in the early 16th century, tomatoes were embraced by most of the Europeans except, funnily enough, by the British, who believed them to be poisonous. Now, five hundred years later, they are an essential part of Spanish cooking (noticeable from the huge and varied selection of canned and jarred tomatoes in every Spanish supermarket), and feature in everything from salads, to sauces, and soups. And speaking of soup, I now realise how my love affair with tomatoes must have begun

It all started last summer, with the gazpacho I quaffed, ice cold, when it was too hot to even think about solid food. To be honest though, I didn't even put the two together at first. It just tasted too good. So it was then, during the long hot summer, that my childhood memories of pushing bits of tomato around my plate slowly began to dissipate. Spurred on by the refreshing goodness of gazpacho I now, in the winter month (when gazpacho is not normally served), have had to search for more tomato-ey goodness to satisfy my newly developed cravings; and the gorgeously smooth salmorejo is the perfect substitute.

For a good salmorejo try the one at caf Europa (on C/Siete Revuelta between Plaza Salvador and Alfalfa). Or, for a deliciously naughty snack, try the bruschetta andalz at Bar Alfalfa (on the corner of Alfalfa and Candilejo) toasted bread topped with melted mozarella, smothered in creamy salmorejo and finished with a sprinkle of jamon Serrano. Heavenly

Recipe:
Originating in Andalucia, Salomrejo is a surprisingly delicious soup based on tomatoes and bread. To try making it for yourself at home, here's how to do it

Ingredients:
1 lb / 450 g tomatoes
1 / 2 clove(s) of garlic
2 oz / 50 g white bread, 2-3 days old
1-2 tbsp vinegar
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Chopped Seranno ham

Method:
Skin the tomatoes and remove their cores (best done in a pot of hot water). Using a blender, mix the tomatoes, garlic, vinegar and seasoning. Soak the bread in water until soft, then wring it out. Next, add half of the bread and blend until smooth. Continue adding the bread (and a little olive oil) and blend until the soup has a smooth, creamy consistency. Chill, serve it up, and garnish with a sprinkle of Serrano ham.

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