Looking for help on how recipes were tweaked in 2009 during tomato shortage.

I’m here in the hopes some of you were working in commercial kitchens 2009/2010. I’ve messed with substitutions but haven’t found an exact match.

There was a tomato blight summer 2009. I think a variation of Blossom End Rot. It decimated the fall harvest in the north-east US and rippled through 2010. It didn’t impact households /that/ much, but it raised the cost of tomato's 20-30% which heavily impacted chains and suppliers who were contracted to keep foods at a certain cost. Think school lunches and budget American restaurant chains. I can name names if its allowed in this sub.

This went unnoticed to most people but as someone who hates raw tomatoes, and tolerates tomato products, I was in heaven that year. Tomatoes were either padded with other veggies, or completely replaced in purees, sauces, and salsas. My leading guesses are mangos and/or sweet peppers, but I’ve never been able to replicate the foods that year.

If anyone was working in kitchens that year and knows what changed, or what brands were used, I'd be in your debt. I am open to any suggestions for substitutions to mess with.

submitted by /u/InterrogativeMixtape
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