西红柿炒鸡蛋 (scrambled eggs with tomato) is arguably China's most iconic home-cooked dish — simple, cheap, and universally loved. It's often the first dish Chinese students learn to cook.
usage
In northern China, people say 西红柿. In southern China, 番茄 (fānqié, literally 'foreign eggplant') is more common. Both are understood everywhere.
history
The name literally means 'Western red persimmon' because tomatoes arrived from the West and resembled persimmons (柿子) in shape and color.
