Are these canned Italian tomatoes worth the hype—and the heftier price tag European Commission. Geographical indications and quality schemes explained. San Marzano tomatoes are prized for their sweet taste and strong robust flavor They have just the right amount of acidity Their association with traditional farming in Italy conjures romantic images of agrarian serenity and certain recipes list them specifically by name There are entire brands of tomatoes that use the San Marzano name and others that proudly proclaim to be authentic San Marzano tomatoes There's a lot of hype — and a lot of confusion — around these exceptional tomatoes Let's break down everything you need to know about San Marzano tomatoes A San Marzano tomato is a specific variety of plum tomato that has been bred over the years for packaging and long shelf life Well-known varieties of plum tomato include the Big Mama Like other plum tomatoes, the fruit of a San Marzano is oblong and contains only two seed compartments. They are red and their appearance is quite similar to Roma tomatoes, but San Marzano tomatoes are thinner and more pointed than Romas San Marzano tomatoes also have thicker walls All plum tomatoes share the quality of fewer seeds than a typical tomato Fewer seeds mean San Marzanos have a thicker which makes them an exceptional choice for tomato sauce sweeter flavor than their closely-related Roma cousins so many chefs consider them a must-have ingredient for which there is simply no substitute San Marzano tomatoes are grown in a small area in the Campania region of southern Italy between Naples and Salerno This agricultural area known as Agro Nocerino-Sarnese is located in the Sarno River valley near Mount Vesuvius The tomatoes themselves derive their name from the city of San Marzano sul Sarno one of 41 towns located within the growing region Many varieties of tomato have been grown in Campania ever since tomatoes were first imported from the New World into Italy But the growing conditions in Agro Nocerino-Sarnese are considered particularly ideal for these special San Marzanos The ideal growing temperature for San Marzanos is between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit summer high temperatures average about 83 degrees and rarely exceed 95 also has abundant water sources and a consistent level of humidity Sarno Valley's proximity to Mount Vesuvius is responsible for its mineral-rich volcanic soils lush with phosphorous and potassium These fertile volcanic soils are said to produce sweeter and soil: these factors combine to make Agro Nocerino-Sarnese the perfect place to grow San Marzanos It's little wonder the tomatoes from this region have earned a DOP designation Many other types of tomatoes are cultivated throughout Italy and are popular canned exports Some of the best-known varieties include cherry tomatoes Each type of tomato has a slightly different taste and consistency the pomodorini is a variety of very sweet cherry tomato that has a bright while datterini cherry tomatoes are bold and sweet Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio is a sweet cherry tomato also grown in the volcanic soils near Naples These are frequently sundried to concentrate their intense aroma and sweetness Costoluto Fiorentino beefsteaks are known for being juicy and slightly more acidic Each of these tomatoes has its own unique characteristics and flavor profiles while all San Marzano tomatoes are Italian Non-DOP San Marzanos grown outside of the designated region are sold in the United States As the variety has become more and more popular demand for San Marzano tomatoes has skyrocketed To capitalize on the ever-growing consumption levels some companies now cultivate San Marzano tomato plants outside of the designated San Marzano growing region It's the same tomato plant simply grown elsewhere These may be labeled San Marzano-style tomatoes but they won't have the DOP label certifying their specific origins Keep in mind that just because it's the same plant does not mean it will taste exactly the same as the DOP San Marzanos Growing conditions matter and subtle differences in the climate or soil content have a direct influence on the flavor of any plant product That doesn't necessarily mean non-DOP San Marzano tomatoes are inherently inferior but they're certainly going to taste different than the real deal If you're not concerned about the DOP designation you can grow the San Marzano tomato cultivar from seeds in your home garden Seeds are widely available for purchase — but again since they're grown outside of the Agro Nocerino-Sarnese they aren't considered true San Marzano tomatoes the plants are the very same as the highly-acclaimed ones grown in Italy and nothing beats the freshness of a tomato from your own garden The original variety is known as Heirloom 'San Marzano' are sometimes called 'San Marzano 2' or 'San Marzano 3.' There are also several hybrids that have been developed specifically to grow in other conditions outside of the San Marzano region select a site that gets six to eight hours of full sun per day They also need rich soil similar to the fertile volcanic earth found in the Sarno River Valley They also need to be fed with a low-nitrogen fertilizer and given plenty of water but not so much water that the soil becomes soggy or waterlogged but if you choose to plant San Marzano seeds at home around 3 months later you'll have a lovely crop of delicious Many of the tomatoes labeled San Marzanos in the U.S. are not real San Marzanos. The DOP is a European Union law, so the rules around the DOP label and San Marzano name are not as strict in the U.S. In fact, only about 5 percent of the San Marzano tomatoes sold in the U.S. are the real deal So how can you distinguish real San Marzanos from the fakes Step one is to look for the yellow and red DOP seal with the words Denominazione d'Origine Protetta on the can You may also find an IGP — Indicazione Geografica Protetta (indication of geographical protection) — label on Italian tomatoes This certification is legitimate but less strict than the DOP certification It traces a food product to its geographical origin during at least one phase of its production whereas DOP tracks all phases of production there are some unscrupulous companies out there that wrongly apply the DOP seal to non-DOP San Marzanos or even use the San Marzano name on other tomato varieties but you can't rely on that alone since some companies in the U.S put a fake DOP label on tomatoes exported from Italy Authentic cans must say "Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese Nocerino" on them and they will have the DOP seal and a Consorzio San Marzano certification number on the bottom of the can In addition to regulation around the geographic origin of San Marzano tomatoes the DOP certification enforces rules about the growing conditions The San Marzano Tomato Protection Consortium of the Agro Sarnese Nocerino mandates that the fruit must be harvested exclusively by hand between July 30 and September 30 It is forbidden to use any artificial means of ripening the fruit so the individual tomatoes must be picked in several stages as they ripen on the vine San Marzanos can only be harvested seasonally during that short window each year The tomatoes ripen throughout the growing season (not all at once) so they must be harvested individually by hand Highly trained workers pick the tomatoes one at a time as they reach peak ripeness The regulations also seek to protect against overfarming specifying that the maximum yield is 80 tons per hectare and a labor-intensive harvest all contribute to San Marzano tomatoes' hefty price tag Tomatoes are so wholesome and naturally delicious and the San Marzano attitude is not to interfere with them any more than you have to They are left very close to their natural state San Marzano tomatoes are "The only variety that is not damaged by processing San Marzanos can have no preservatives or filler ingredients — only salt and optional fresh basil leaves This is another way to check the veracity of a can's DOP claim you can bet they are not legitimate DOP San Marzano tomatoes The light touch in their processing means San Marzano tomatoes arrive in the can still as fresh-tasting and flavorful as if they were just harvested The San Marzano Tomato Protection Consortium also mandates that tomatoes be processed in one of two ways: whole peeled tomatoes or peeled tomatoes in fillets (cut in half with the inner ribs removed) There are zero other options for a DOP-compliant San Marzano tomato If the canned tomatoes you're purchasing are pureed If the tomatoes you're purchasing are not peeled since the two processing options are whole peeled or peeled fillets Since San Marzanos are often used in sauces leaving them whole means you can crush them into your saucepan as you're cooking to release even more of their savory juices Selling them whole or filleted also means these tender fruits hold their shape during storage San Marzanos emerge from the can with their sense of tomato-ness intact Neopolitan cuisine has a longstanding history with tomatoes Neoplitans were among the first Europeans to embrace the culinary possibilities of the tomato At a time when many other cultures feared the tomato or believed it to be poisonous Neopolitan chef Antonio Latini published the earliest recipe for tomato sauce in 1694 and tomatoes spread from Naples to the rest of Italy The relationship between Naples and the tomato — and the San Marzano tomato in particular — has continued throughout history. In 1889, the Neopolitan pizza was invented using local tomatoes, basil, and cheese. Today, Neapolitan pizza (Pizza Napoletana) is a UNESCO Cultural Heritage food. The most classic example of a Neopolitan pizza is the Margherita pizza which the Italian Standardization Body and the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana specifies that the only tomatoes acceptable to use in a Neopolitan pizza are Pomodorino Vesuviano and — you guessed it — San Marzanos and see how these tomatoes enhance the experience For any dish that screams "tomato," San Marzanos are a sure bet Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks "It is indeed a good commercial moment for fresh white onions from the Nocerino-Sarnese area Demand is high and quotations are also satisfactory as we manage to obtain prices that are twice as high as those of spring onions and three times higher than those of dried onions," reports Raffaele Rosa there is no demand for them on the Italian market although the trend on the foreign market is much better especially from France and Germany because the Egyptian product which is the main competitor for the Italian product we are shipping 20% of fine spring onions and 80% of bulb onions to France while we are shipping around 80-90% per cent of fine spring onions and the remainder of the bulb onions to Germany." GRG's core business is the processing and marketing of fennel The latter are available from early February until early May The company processes 10 tonnes of fresh white onions every day "Fresh white onions from Nocerino-Sarnese are a niche product They are not such not because there is little consumption demand is high on both the Italian and foreign markets and from the H&R channel It is rather the supply that is rather limited Not all companies in our area are adequately equipped for processing so much so that there are only two of us that do it in the Nocerino-Sarnese area." The produce is sold either in 500-gram tubs which are destined exclusively for the Italian big retail trade and loose for domestic and foreign markets "We have been including fresh white onions in our assortment for three years now that is since we bought the machinery to process them." For more information: GRG Ortofrutta SrlZ.I Taurana, Lot 25,84010 San Marzano sul Sarno (SA) - Italy+39 333 6427273[email protected]www.grgortofrutta.it FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 FreshPlaza.com With the start of the dredging and cleaning of the Bottaro and Casadodici canals the first priority actions among those envisaged in the Great Sarno River Project start in the municipality of Scafati A symbol according to the President of the Campania Region who intervened to witness the start of the works after there were nothing but maps and not even a design for years “Now we are reclaiming the Bottaro canal – said De Luca – then we will continue with other interventions in the area of Sarno in Striano and castel San Gorgio We are working to complete the sewage network and sewers.” In Scafati in particular the construction of the sewerage network and the works are underway Significant intervention for the city of Scafati for which an urban regeneration program has been financed to improve the city's social services A relationship of institutional collaboration that overcomes ideological and party barriers as underlined by President De Luca and the mayor of Scafati financed by European funds (€ 715 987.23 POR FESR 2014/2020) is to restore the original hydraulic sections of the two canals along their route which crosses the urban centre of Scafati by removing approximately 10 000 m3 of sediment and waste (classified as non-hazardous) and to improve hygiene and health conditions by removing the waste accumulated over the years with the elimination of odours In addition to the works in the Scafati canals which took place some 30 years after the last extraordinary maintenance work (in 1991) there are three other urgent interventions aimed at reducing the widespread flooding phenomena in the Sarno river basin during the Rio Sguazzatorio’ in the municipality of San Marzano sul Sarno the restoration of the hydraulic functionality of the Valesana absorption tank in Campomanfoli in the municipality of Castel San Giorgio (Sa) and the hydraulic reclamation of the Lavorate plain in the municipality of Sarno And since there is no official body that oversees this process Taste further reveals that some companies won't even hide that the tomatoes aren't San Marzano and will add that note in the fine print on the nutritional label on the back of the can what happens when you can't distinguish whether your tomatoes are legitimate or not Taste says that official San Marzano tomatoes only come whole or in fillets and canned — so if you see diced or crushed San Marzanos Food & Wine cites how authentic San Marzano tomatoes will probably cost you a "pretty penny." Apart from reading the label's fine print carefully, evaluating the price, and looking for the style of the tomatoes, there are two more tell-tale items you can look for to ensure you're buying real San Marzano tomatoes. According to Food & Wine cans of real San Marzano tomatoes will have two very specific labels on them that cannot be forged or manipulated: a D.O.P seal and a Consorzio San Marzano certification number These may both appear as a banner around the top of the can or might be stamped somewhere toward the bottom of the can D.O.P. stands for Denominazione d'Origine Protetta which means "Protected Designation of Origin" (via Eataly). This seal and designation is organized and controlled by the European Union and serves as proof that the product that bears its designation is authentic (via La Cucina Italiana) the product must come from the correct origins and have the proper production and manufacturing standards to be awarded the label Many wines, cheeses, and other products from specific European countries and regions use this system as well to protect what is marketed as their products. Just like only wine from the Champagne region of France can be called "champagne," only San Marzano tomatoes with a D.O.P seal can be totally trusted as the real thing Now that you know what to look for — seeking out San Marzano tomatoes that feature a D.O.P. seal and a Consorzio San Marzano number — you should know about the best places to shop to find the real tomatoes. While you can purchase cans online with retailers like Gustiamo or even Eataly both of which are known to sell quality Italian foods Whether you need San Marzanos right away for a recipe or you've been duped in the past and like to see what you're buying face-to-face there are brick-and-mortar stores you can visit to find what you need Though it may seem surprising, Trader Joe's has been stocking more D.O.P.-certified products over the past few years and is worth checking out You might even find D.O.P.-backed San Marzano tomatoes at your go-to supermarket then you should try shopping at an Italian specialty store or even an international market to get the most authentic options.