San Marzanos?
San Marzano tomatoes.
Are they all they’re cracked up to be?
It depends.
If you use real San Marzano tomatoes, then yes: they are intense and creamy and rich and make a difference in what you are cooking.
I recently made a spectacularly rich penne all’arrabbiata, pictured above, using very rich San Marzano-style tomatoes.
Otherwise the plum-style tomato from Italy is the victim of knock-offs and out-and-out food fraud.
Authentic San Marzano tomatoes will be labelled with D.O.P. — an Italian law (Denominazione di Origine Protetta; literally, “Protected Designation of Origin”) that signifies and protects the tomato origin.
These tomatoes must be grown in Sarno Valley when they can be designated as Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino.
San Marzano tomatoes often come from Italy, but they are grown in several other countries. For instance, you’ll find San Marzano-type plum tomatoes grown in Leamington, Ontario.
But when it comes to countries, we shouldn’t forget that the tomato is a new world plant: likely originating on the west coast of South America, the word tomato derives from the Aztec terms that means “plump fruit.”
And that’s what you want in a good tomato, no matter where it comes from.
