A 500-year-old Mystery Solved (IMAGE) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Caption Giant beeksteak tomatoes were first brought to Europe by the conquistador Cortez in the early 1500s. Here, a hand-colored woodblock illustration from the 1590 German language edition of Mattioli's Commentaries on Dioscorides edited by Joachim Camerarius of Frankfurt (Mattioli 1590). Credit Image reproduced with permission of The Natural History Museum Botany Library. Usage Restrictions You must give credit to The Natural History Museum Botany Library. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.