San Marzano tomato
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
San Marzano tomatoes, a variety of Roma or plum tomatoes, are considered by many chefs to be the best sauce tomatoes in the world. They come from a small town of the same name near Naples, Italy, grown in volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. The volcanic soil is believed to act as a filter for water impurities. Compared to the Roma Tomatoes with which most people are familiar, Marzano tomatoes are thinner and pointier in shape. The flesh is much thicker with fewer seeds, and the taste is much stronger, less sweet and less acidic. Many people describe the taste as bittersweet, like great chocolate. Because of their high quality, San Marzano tomatoes have been designated as the only tomatoes that can be used for Vera Pizza Napoletana (True Neopolitan Pizza).
The name denotes both a point of origin and a variety of tomato. True canned Marzanos will have the EU "DOP" emblem on the label.
