San Marzano tomatoes

How do you make your tomato sauce for your pasta? Is it out of a jar? Do you use canned tomatoes? Or just about any kind of fresh tomatoes? I guess all of it is fine - these are the options I usually use when making pasta. But today I almost jumped when at Migros - our local grocery store, I saw San Marzano tomatoes, and what's more - they even had those cute cherry San Marzano tomatoes! The bulb in my head just went 'Ting' to tell me 'Tis the season for these precious things! Go grab a basket or two!'

Ok, so what's this deal about a variety of tomatoes after all? San Marzano is the region in Italy where this variety grows and are often touted as the 'world's sauciest tomatoes'. These are very long, meaty and plum tomatoes with very few seeds and a lot of flesh - and they have an excellent flavour. Depending on where you live, you'd find them to be a bit more expensive that the usual variety since they grow only in one region in Italy for a limited period. They are available canned as well, and yes, a bit more pricey than the regular canned variety. Also since there are a lot of imitations - make sure you check for the logo to be sure you are buying the real deal.

Now is the season when they are so easily available fresh. Try it out for making your pasta sauce - And let me know how you like it! I am going to make mine now :) Share