'ave a bite of this: Sydneysiders vote on tastiest tomato

Juicy, flavour-filled "love apples" have attracted thousands to Sydney's Botanic Gardens for the annual Tomato Festival.

More than 6,000 people turned out over the weekend to vote the Black Cherry Heirloom as the tastiest tomato in town.

Along they way they munched through kilograms of `authentic' tomatoes, known as heirloom varieties because they have not been bred or hybridised for a mass market.

They develop naturally with pollination occurring through wind, insects and birds.

"Once an heirloom variety is lost, it cannot be recreated and biodiversity decreases," scientist Dr Brett Summerell said.

"They tend to have superior flavour and are easy to grow."