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One Fruit, Two Words

If you order a salad in Vienna and ask for Tomaten, people will understand you. But the local waiter may smile and reply: Ach, Sie meinen Paradeiser.

  • Germany: Tomate (plural Tomaten).
  • Austria: Paradeiser (plural Paradeiser).

Both mean tomato, but the word choice carries regional identity.

Where Does “Paradeiser” Come From?

The Austrian word comes from Paradiesapfel — literally “paradise apple.”
In time it shortened to Paradeiser, and stayed in everyday use in Austria (and partly in South Tyrol).

The German Tomate came via Spanish (tomate ← Nahuatl tomatl) and is standard in most of the German-speaking world.

So Austria chose a poetic metaphor, while Germany followed the international loanword.

What Austrians Actually Hear

  • Tomate sounds “German,” northern, neutral.
  • Paradeiser sounds Austrian, local, culturally authentic.

Both words are correct — but using Paradeiser in Vienna signals you understand the Austrian code.

Mini Dialogues

In Germany:
— Haben Sie Tomaten für den Salat?
— “Do you have tomatoes for the salad?” 🍅

In Austria:
— Haben Sie Paradeiser für den Salat?
— “Do you have tomatoes (Paradeiser) for the salad?” 🇦🇹

Cross-Language Echoes

  • English: always tomato, but the pronunciation differs (UK təˈmɑːtəʊ vs US təˈmeɪtoʊ).
  • Russian: «томат» (формально), но чаще «помидор» (народное слово).
  • Ukrainian: «томат» (офіційно) та «помідор» (у побуті).

Just like in German, there are two co-existing terms — one “official,” one “folk.”

Conclusion

Paradeiser vs Tomate is more than vocabulary. It shows how language keeps identity alive.

  • In Germany, you eat Tomaten.
  • In Austria, you eat Paradeiser.

Both are tasty, both are right — but if you want to sound Viennese, order Paradeiser.

🔗 Related articles

Series: Regional German
👤 Author: Tymur Levitin — founder, director & lead teacher, Levitin Language School
© Tymur Levitin, Levitin Language School