San Marzano tomato

Tomate San Marzano

What it is

San Marzano grows in the volcanic Agro Sarnese-Nocerino south of Vesuvius, and the story goes that the first seed reached the Kingdom of Naples around 1770 as a gift from the Viceroyalty of Peru. What the DOP protects is a shape and a chemistry: thick walls, few seeds, little water and high pectin, bred to be reduced rather than sliced.

In the kitchen

Crush the tinned fruit by hand and cook it 20 minutes at a bare simmer, since a long hard boil drives off the sweetness the variety exists for. If a tin needs sugar, it was not San Marzano.

Goes with

Basil Olive oil Garlic Oregano Mozzarella Anchovy Onion

Same species

Bintje potato Black Krim tomato Bonnotte de Noirmoutier Chuño Datterino tomato Eggplant

Also used with

Honeycomb tripe Calabrian chilli paste Ragusano Ricotta salata Provolone del Monaco Tipo 00 flour

In season alongside

Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio Tomato Saltwater conger (anago) Apple Cherry Brown crab

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