San Marzano | |
---|---|
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) | |
Maturity | 85 days |
Type | Heirloom |
Vine | Indeterminate [ dubious – discuss ] |
Plant height | 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) |
Fruit weight | 110 grams (3.9 oz) |
Leaf | Regular leaf |
Color | Red (pink) |
Shape | Plum |
San Marzano tomato is a variety of plum tomato originating in the Campania region of Italy. It is known for its flavour and quality as a canning tomato. San Marzano production is protected by a European protected designation of origin (PDO) certification. [1]
Compared to the Roma tomato, San Marzano tomatoes are thinner and more pointed. The flesh is much thicker with fewer seeds, and the taste is stronger, sweeter, and less acidic. [2]
The San Marzano vines are an indeterminate type [3] and have a somewhat longer season than other paste tomato varieties, making them particularly suitable for warmer climates. As is typical of heirloom plants, San Marzano is an open-pollinated variety that breeds true from generation to generation, making seed saving practical for the home gardener or farmer.
Heirloom plant conservationist Amy Goldman Fowler calls the San Marzano "the most important industrial tomato of the 20th century"; its commercial introduction in 1926 provided canneries with a "sturdy, flawless subject, and breeders with genes they'd be raiding for decades". [4] Although commercial production of the San Marzano variety is most closely associated with Italy, seeds for the variety are available worldwide. It is an heirloom variety. [5] Canned San Marzanos, when grown in the Valle del Sarno ('Valley of the Sarno') in Italy in compliance with Italian law, can be classified as pomodoro di San Marzano dell'agro sarnese-nocerino and have the European Union PDO emblem on the label.
Most San Marzano tomatoes sold commercially are grown in Italy, although they are produced commercially in smaller quantities in other countries. Because of San Marzano's premium pricing, there is an ongoing battle against fraudulent product. On November 22, 2010, the Italian Carabinieri confiscated 1,470 tonnes (1,450 long tons; 1,620 short tons) of improperly labelled canned tomatoes worth €1.2 million. [6]
San Marzano tomatoes, along with pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio , have been designated as the only tomatoes that can be used for vera pizza napoletana ('true Neapolitan pizza'). [7]
San Marzano tomatoes originated in the small town of San Marzano sul Sarno, in the province of Salerno, near Naples, Italy, and were first grown in volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. One story goes that the first seed of this tomato came to Campania in 1770, as a gift from the Viceroyalty of Peru to the Kingdom of Naples, and that it was planted in the area of San Marzano sul Sarno. [8]
In the United States, San Marzano tomatoes are the genetic base for another popular paste tomato, the Roma tomato. The Roma is a cross between a San Marzano and two other varieties (one of which was also a San Marzano hybrid), [4] and was introduced by the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in 1955. [9]
Mozzarella is a semi-soft non-aged cheese prepared by the pasta filata ('stretched-curd') method with origins from southern Italy.
Pizza is an Italian dish typically consisting of a flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high temperature, traditionally in a wood-fired oven.
Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to:
An heirloom plant, heirloom variety, heritage fruit, or heirloom vegetable is an old cultivar of a plant used for food that is grown and maintained by gardeners and farmers, particularly in isolated communities of the Western world. These were commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but are not used in modern large-scale agriculture.
An heirloom tomato is an open-pollinated, non-hybrid heirloom cultivar of tomato. They are classified as family heirlooms, commercial heirlooms, mystery heirlooms, or created heirlooms. They usually have a shorter shelf life and are less disease resistant than hybrids. They are grown for various reasons: for food, historical interest, access to wider varieties, and by people who wish to save seeds from year to year, as well as for their taste.
Pizza Margherita or Margherita pizza is a typical Neapolitan pizza, roundish in shape with a raised edge and garnished with hand-crushed peeled tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and extra virgin olive oil. The dough is made by mixing water, salt, and yeast with flour.
A plum tomato, also known as a processing tomato or paste tomato, is a type of tomato bred for sauce and packing purposes. It is generally oval or cylindrical in shape, with significantly fewer locules than standard round tomatoes and a generally higher solid content, making them more suitable for processing into paste. Plum tomatoes are also sometimes favored by cooks for use during the tomato off-season, as they are generally considered more amenable to handling and are therefore available in a state closer to ripe than other supermarket tomatoes.
The Roma tomato or Roma is a plum tomato popularly used both for canning and producing tomato paste because of its slender and firm nature. Commonly found in supermarkets in some countries.
The history of pizza began in antiquity, as various ancient cultures produced flatbreads with several toppings. Pizza today is an Italian dish with a flat dough-based base and toppings, with significant Italian roots in History.
San Marzano sul Sarno is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of southern Italy, situated about halfway between Autostrade A3 and A30.
San Valentino Torio is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. San Valentino Torio is situated in the northern part of the province, not far from Mount Vesuvius, in the Sarno river valley.
The tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from and was domesticated in western South America. It was introduced to the Old World by the Spanish in the Columbian exchange in the 16th century.
Neapolitan cuisine has ancient historical roots that date back to the Greco-Roman period, which was enriched over the centuries by the influence of the different cultures that controlled Naples and its kingdoms, such as that of Aragon and France.
San Marzano may refer to:
Neapolitan pizza is the version of the round pizza typically prepared in the Italian city of Naples and characterised by a soft, thin dough with high edges. The tomatoes are traditionally either San Marzano tomatoes or pomodorini del Piennolo del Vesuvio, which grow on the volcanic plains to the south of Mount Vesuvius, and the cheese is traditionally mozzarella di bufala campana or fior di latte di Agerola. Pizza napoletana is a traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) product in the European Union and the United Kingdom, and the art of its making is included on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.
The Agro Nocerino-Sarnese or Agro Sarnese-Nocerino is a geographical region of the Province of Salerno, in Campania in southern Italy; the river Sarno flows through it. It is a low-lying area bounded to the south by the Monti Lattari, to the east and north-east by the Monti Picentini and to the west by the plain of Vesuvius. It consists of sixteen comuni: Angri, Bracigliano, Castel San Giorgio, Corbara, Nocera Inferiore, Nocera Superiore, Pagani, Roccapiemonte, San Marzano sul Sarno, San Valentino Torio, Santa Maria la Carità, Sant'Antonio Abate, Sant'Egidio del Monte Albino, Sarno, Scafati and Siano. All are in the province of Salerno except Santa Maria la Carità and Sant'Antonio Abate, which are in the province of Naples.
Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria is an Italian restaurant chain with six locations in Washington, United States. The first location was founded in 2004. The restaurant specializes in "authentic" Neapolitan pizza and is certified by the non-profit Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana which certifies pizzerias that use traditional ingredients and processes. Tutta Bella was the first restaurant in the Pacific Northwest to receive such certification.
Pizza marinara, also known as pizza alla marinara, is a typical Neapolitan pizza seasoned with tomato sauce, extra virgin olive oil, oregano, and garlic. It is supposedly the oldest tomato-topped pizza.