San Marzanos are among the most tantalizingly tasty tomatoes you could enjoy!
But what makes them so special?
Where do they come from?
And do you know how to spot a fraudulent fruit, posing as the real deal?
Stick around to find out!
Food traditions are taken very seriously in Europe.
If a certain regional specialty is popular enough, a specific way to make it can become
enshrined in law.
Most countries have systems of governance over who has the right to refer to their product
names.
A prime example is wine, as experts agree that the geographic location influences the
finished product — like how true champagne can only be produced in the Champagne region
of France.
The same product produced elsewhere must be referred to as sparkling wine.
A similar distinction is made with food products and their place of origin in Italy as well.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is a popular example, and of course, San Marzano tomatoes are another
noteworthy product.
San Marzano refers to the region in Southern Italy where the tomatoes are grown, as well
as to the specific tomato variety.
The standard for these tomatoes is intentionally set very high and specifies that they must
be grown in the right place and harvested at a certain size.
These restrictions are imposed to prevent inferior products from being labeled with
the famous name.
When paying a premium price, it just makes sense to be absolutely certain that you're
getting the genuine article and not the work of a fraudster.
The region of San Marzano is located in Southern Italy, an area that is hotter and more arid
than the Northern parts of the country.
It turns out these hotter temperatures are perfect growing conditions for tomatoes, as
they can't thrive in the North's gentler, more temperate climate.
This is why tomatoes and red sauce are associated with Italian food for many Americans: the
vast majority of Italian immigrants were escaping poor conditions in southern Italy when they
crossed the Atlantic.
The tomatoes come from a little sliver of land between the cities of Naples and Salerno.
Naples, known for its world-famous pizza, is one of the biggest cities in Italy even
if it's not well-regarded as a tourist destination.
Salerno, meanwhile, is known for the quality of its citrus fruits.
The nearby Amalfi coast has been famous for its lemons for centuries.
Although the region lacks in infrastructure and investment compared to its Northern neighbors,
there is no lack of sophisticated — and delicious — culinary traditions.
These traditions are emblematic of what makes Italian food so good.
Simple high-quality products, treated in just the right way, in order to bring out their
best qualities.
Pompeii was a prosperous town that was wiped out in 79 AD by the active volcano known as
Mount Vesuvius.
The ruins of the ancient city now stand as one of the most well-preserved examples of
classical Roman daily life.
The fact that it was buried under ash and lava prevented further decomposition and had
a number of other impacts.
Volcanic ash has many benefits to offer growing crops.
Not only is it rich in nutrients that are depleted in soil from regular use, but it
is also a carbon sink that can actively pull carbon from the air.
Although it can be synthetically reproduced, the best — and most sustainable — sources
are actual volcanoes.
The local people living around Mount Vesuvius recognize this potential and they grow their
precious, government-regulated tomatoes on its slopes.
This is because the volcanic soil makes for a sweeter and less acidic tomato, and those
qualities make them especially nice for cooking.
The volcanic soil, which is rich in phosphorus and potassium, enhances these tomatoes by
coaxing out a depth of flavor that most other varieties struggle to achieve.
Anyone who has cooked a batch of tomato sauce can attest that dealing with the plentiful
seeds packed into each tomato can be a real pain.
Although the seeds are perfectly edible, they can ruin the texture of a finished product,
as well as trigger acid reflux in those prone to it.
Italians are partial to buying tomato passata, which is the Italian word for what?
"Tomato sauce?"
Not quite, but close!
It literally translates to strained tomatoes.
They are exactly what they sound like: uncooked, strained tomato puree.
This eliminates the skin and the seeds, removing any distracting textures.
While there are plenty of tips for peeling tomatoes and getting rid of the seeds, a better
option is to pick a variety that is already low in seed content.
San Marzano's tendency to produce fruit that is mostly flesh with relatively few seeds
is one of the features that has made it so popular with many cooks.
The liquid surrounding the seeds can water down a pot of sauce or a tomato stew.
Therefore, when you're dealing with a tomato that has a higher proportion of flesh versus
seeds, you'll be able to cook it for less time, which means it will maintain a fresher
flavor.
As the venerable culinary school Le Cordon Bleu teaches its students, good cooking comes
down to balance.
Specifically, it entails weighing all of the fundamental tastes against each other: salty,
sweet, bitter, sour, and umami.
This means that altering one ingredient — or mistreating it — can throw off an entire
dish.
In seeking a balance between flavors, cooks must often choose one ingredient over another
option.
San Marzano tomatoes happen to be a tomato variety with a lower acidity — or sourness
— than most.
This is considered a benefit, since a tomato sauce that is too sharp will require a lot
of sugar to create balance.
A low-acid tomato like San Marzano is also better for people who suffer from acid reflux
or heartburn, which can be aggravated by highly acidic food.
This tomato's minimally sour profile means that its sweet, natural flavors are able to
shine through.
It is a fruit, after all, even if the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't agree.
Naples is a very old city, and many of its traditions — and those of the surrounding
region — go back centuries, if not millennia.
However, pizza is a much more recent novelty.
One story suggests that in the late 1800s, Queen Margherita was served a dish of flatbread
topped with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil.
The combination of colors resembled the tricolor flag of Italy, and a beloved tradition was
born.
Tomatoes are native to South America and were discovered by European explorers when they
made the trip over to the New World.
When tomatoes were first brought back to Europe, they were thought to be poisonous due to their
close resemblance to the deadly nightshade plant.
This kept people from realizing the potential of the tomato for centuries.
However, once people discovered that it wasn't poisonous but actually quite tasty, it became
inseparable from certain national cuisines.
Today, it would be hard to picture Italian food without any tomatoes at all.
"As a pizza lover, I only ever buy cans of San Marzano tomatoes."
In pursuit of safeguarding what makes Neapolitan pizza so special, the Italian government has
issued guidelines that cooks must follow.
One of these states that only San Marzano variety tomatoes can be used in the sauce.
This use of local, regional specialties is living proof of a well-known foodie adage:
"If it grows together, it goes together."
Although it may seem counterintuitive, many cooks prefer to use canned tomatoes over fresh
ones.
For one, the tomato season in the U.S. is relatively short — only about three to four
months — which means that high-quality fresh tomatoes are unavailable for most of the year.
This makes canned options a reliable choice for the time outside of peak tomato season.
There are also some difficulties that come with shipping fresh tomatoes.
Most tomatoes sold in American grocery stores are picked when they are severely underripe,
as a ripe tomato is a juicy, fragile disaster waiting to happen.
Instead of shipping delicate ripe tomatoes all over the world, most growers pick hard
fruit.
Once the tomatoes arrive at their destination, ethylene gas is typically applied, causing
them to soften and turn red.
While it may save tomato growers the headache of figuring out how to ship their crops, it
leaves supermarket shoppers without many flavorful options, except those that come in cans.
Since the can is sturdy and the products within are picked at the peak of freshness, canned
tomatoes are at the ideal level of ripeness.
In Italy, it's only a matter of hours between harvest and canning, which makes all the difference
in flavor and consistency.
Italy takes its food culture very seriously, with strict regulations about what is allowed
to be served to the public.
The New York Times details many differences in food safety laws between the U.S. and Europe.
The biggest takeaway is that Europeans are much less tolerant of chemical food additives
than Americans.
The American Food and Drug Administration relies on companies to police their own additives,
an approach that doesn't fly in Europe.
One noteworthy additive is calcium chloride, which the FDA labels as Generally Recognized
as Safe, noting that it helps prevent browning in processed fruits and vegetables.
The additive is incorporated into canned goods — including tomatoes — so that they arrive
in your kitchen intact.
Diced tomatoes are almost always treated with calcium chloride so that you don't end up
with a can of tomato puree instead of distinct chunks.
In Italy, producers do not use this additive, choosing to keep things natural instead.
This means the tomatoes arrive soft and ready to break down further, which is exactly what
you want if you are making a sauce.
Nonetheless, the consistency is worth keeping in mind when you are buying these premium
tomatoes for a recipe.
Considering that a can of San Marzano tomatoes can cost several times more than a generic
option of the same size, it does raise the question: Are they worth it?
"Activating shrug mode."
There's no obvious answer, since one cook may be happy to spend the extra money on a
product they know is a genuine, artisanally-produced item.
But another cook may be just as happy to go with whatever's on sale.
There is a rigorous and costly process that must be adhered to in order to net the Italian
government's approval.
Growers must recoup their investment in the approval process, and they inevitably pass
that higher cost on to the consumer.
There may be little more than smoke and mirrors to the higher price tag, however.
Food & Wine details a phenomenon where people will rate a wine higher when they know that
it's particularly expensive.
It could be that the same trick holds true with San Marzano tomatoes, and any perceived
increase in quality is all in the buyer's mind.
Unfortunately, as with many nice products, dishonest people have tainted San Marzano
tomatoes.
If you're not careful, you could end up buying a standard tomato at a premium price.
Indeed, 95% of tomatoes labeled as San Marzano in American stores are not authentic.
To be absolutely certain that you are getting genuine San Marzanos, you should check for
a D.O.P.
label from the Italian government and look for an official certification number on the
bottom of the can.
Another surefire way to spot a fake is to make sure the tomatoes are whole — any diced
or pureed products cannot be called San Marzanos by Italian law.
Many product reviews show that Americans consistently pick domestic tomatoes over pricier San Marzanos.
However, this could be chalked up to the lack of availability of the real deal and, perhaps,
a deliberate counterfeit sneaking its way into the taste tests.
One of the best ways to ensure access to the real deal is to grow your own tomatoes, and
many seed catalogs sell the means to sprout San Marzanos.
This is ideal for any ambitious gardener who wants to try their green thumb at growing
the Cadillac of tomatoes.
Just keep in mind that they require plenty of maintenance.
"I'm a tomato, and I need your help!"
It can be hard to grow a plant from a seed in amateur conditions.
Therefore, it's recommended to buy baby plants from a nursery and transplant them to a sunny,
well-watered spot when they're ready.
San Marzanos — like all tomato plants — prefer lots of direct sunlight.
It is recommended that the plants receive up to eight hours of uninterrupted sunshine,
so it's no wonder they hail from the sunny South of Italy.
The watering regimen is particularly important, since tomato plants suffer when soil moisture
drops below a certain level.
If the plant starts to wilt, it becomes much more susceptible to the dreaded blossom end
rot.
This unsightly blemish will ruin your tomato harvest, so be sure to keep the soil moist
if you plan on experimenting.
While the originals are grown at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, in soil conditions that
would be nearly impossible to recreate on your own.
You can still take steps — such as including wood ash in the potting soil — to replicate
the nutritious, fortified soil of Southern Italy.
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