maters

Maters is a regional colloquial term for tomatoes, used primarily in the Southern United States. In everyday speech, people say “maters” when referring to the edible fruit of the tomato plant, often in reference to fresh, locally grown specimens. The term appears in casual conversation, local menus, market chatter, and recipes that call for “maters” instead of “tomatoes.”

Origin and usage: Maters likely arises from a phonetic rendering of “tomatoes” in certain dialects, with the second syllable shortened in rapid speech. It is informal and dialectal, not standard in formal writing. The plural can refer to ripe red tomatoes or green, unripe ones used in dishes such as fried green maters.

Culinary role: Tomatoes are versatile ingredients used in salads, sauces, canning, and various regional dishes. In Southern cuisine, fried green maters is a well-known preparation in which unripe slices are battered and fried. The term maters does not denote a separate variety; it is simply a regional slang for the fruit.