# San Marzano Tomatoes worth a try?



## Hyperion (May 24, 2011)

I have been using hunts crushed tomatoes to make my pizza sauce. But I heard the imported San marzano tomatoes are supposed to be good. Does anyone have experience with it and has compared it with American tomatoes? Does it really make a difference?


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## Andy M. (May 24, 2011)

I use them and like them.  They are quite expensive compared to other canned tomatoes.


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## Hyperion (May 24, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> I use them and like them.  They are quite expensive compared to other canned tomatoes.


thanks. do you order them online? which site is reliable?


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## kadesma (May 24, 2011)

Hyperion said:


> thanks. do you order them online? which site is reliable?


No I get them at Trader Joes or my grocery Like Andy says they are expensive but when you taste your pasta gravey you will be amazed.
kadesma


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## Andy M. (May 24, 2011)

That's right.  Supermarket shelves.  You also have to be sure you get the real deal.  They have to be certified SM tomatoes with the appropriate seals of approval.


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## taxlady (May 24, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> That's right.  Supermarket shelves.  You also have to be sure you get the real deal.  They have to be certified SM tomatoes with the appropriate seals of approval.



I was going to mention that. I bought some tomatoes that said they were from San Marzano and had some things on the label that looked like seals, but on closer examination were not certification. I didn't notice anything special about the flavour.

I don't feel ripped off - I bought them at Costco because they were the cheapest canned tomatoes with no weird chemicals. I hadn't even heard of San Marzano at the time.


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## Andy M. (May 24, 2011)

Here's some more info on the certifications:  Pastene, san marzano tomatoes, imported from italy


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## Katie H (May 24, 2011)

For what it's worth, we grow San Marzano tomatoes in our garden and wouldn't plant anything else.  They are wonderful.  Great for canning and they make awesome sauce.


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## CWS4322 (May 24, 2011)

Katie H said:


> For what it's worth, we grow San Marzano tomatoes in our garden and wouldn't plant anything else. They are wonderful. Great for canning and they make awesome sauce.


 
I agree! For plum/roma tomatoes, they are the BEST. They also make awesome tomato paste.


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## betterthanabox (May 24, 2011)

Ive seen them at walmart, for just a little more than the regular tomatoes. I buy them all the time.


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## GB (May 24, 2011)

Katie H said:


> For what it's worth, we grow San Marzano tomatoes in our garden and wouldn't plant anything else.  They are wonderful.  Great for canning and they make awesome sauce.


There is a difference between San Marzano tomatoes that you grow yourself and ones grown in the San Marzano region of Italy. That is not to say that your tomatoes will not be delicious. The reason San Marzanos from Italy are so prized and different is because of the soil they are grown in.


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## CWS4322 (May 24, 2011)

That is true wherever you grow things. I do know that I buy certified San Marzano seed and they are best plum/roma tomatoes I've every grown. I've been growing tomatoes since 1987 and I've tried many varieties.. I like SMs because they have the most flavor and they don't turn "watery" when you make sauce, paste, etc.

FWIW, I don't like Ontario milk--the feed fed to the dairy cows doesn't render the milk as sweet as milk from cows fed a clover mix. I love WI milk or VT milk.


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## GB (May 24, 2011)

CWS4322 said:


> That is true wherever you grow things.


This might seem like splitting hairs, but in this case I really do not think it is. Yes, soil differences play a role in any produce that is grown and different soils will contribute to taste variation in anything grown, but there is a difference between that and something being specifically prized because of the specific soil it was grown in. San Marzano soil has a very high volcanic ash content which dramatically changes the taste and chemical composition of the tomato. Again, I am not saying that San Marzano tomatoes grown elsewhere are not great. They are different than ones grown in that particular soil though and it is the soil that is the reason they are so prized and need to be certified as authentic.


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## taxlady (May 24, 2011)

GB said:


> This might seem like splitting hairs, but in this case I really do not think it is. Yes, soil differences play a role in any produce that is grown and different soils will contribute to taste variation in anything grown, but there is a difference between that and something being specifically prized because of the specific soil it was grown in. San Marzano soil has a very high volcanic ash content which dramatically changes the taste and chemical composition of the tomato. Again, I am not saying that San Marzano tomatoes grown elsewhere are not great. They are different than ones grown in that particular soil though and it is the soil that is the reason they are so prized and need to be certified as authentic.



I think it has to be the seeds too. You can buy tomatoes from San Marzano that aren't certified and aren't as good, even though they are growing in volcanic soil.


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## GB (May 24, 2011)

Yes that is true taxlady.


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## Hyperion (May 24, 2011)

I have looked in all the regular or special grocers around and no san marzano in sight. only found them in a world market but they only have the pureed version. Does anyone know of a reliable online source?


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## Andy M. (May 24, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> Here's some more info on the certifications:  Pastene, san marzano tomatoes, imported from italy




Click on this link.


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## Hyperion (May 24, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> Click on this link.


thanks!


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## jennyema (May 24, 2011)

Katie H said:


> For what it's worth, we grow San Marzano tomatoes in our garden and wouldn't plant anything else. They are wonderful. Great for canning and they make awesome sauce.


 
San Marzano is both a denomination of origin and a variety.

Like GB said, the reason the real canned SM tomatoes grown in the San Marzano region of Italy are so special is because of the soil they grow in.  Sandy, volcanic soil from Mt Vezuvius (sp?).  Like grapes (or reallyanything you grow), soil has a great deal to do with the flavor and texture you get from tomatoes.

You can grow them from seeds anywhere, but they don'e have the same taste as the real deal from Italy.

I have started to grow them every year in my garden and there's really no comparison beween mine and a high quality canned SM.  

Mine are getting planted this weekend.


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## jennyema (May 24, 2011)

Hyperion said:


> I have looked in all the regular or special grocers around and no san marzano in sight. only found them in a world market but they only have the pureed version. Does anyone know of a reliable online source?


 
Go to Arthur Ave's website.

I've never seen a better selection of high quality canned tomatoes then when I was strolling about in that part of the Bronx.


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## Hyperion (May 24, 2011)

jennyema said:


> San Marzano is both a denomination of origin and a variety.
> 
> Like GB said, the reason the real canned SM tomatoes grown in the San Marzano region of Italy are so special is because of the soil they grow in.  Sandy, volcanic soil from Mt Vezuvius (sp?).  Like grapes (or reallyanything you grow), soil has a great deal to do with the flavor and texture you get from tomatoes.
> 
> ...


In China, it is said that 2 kinds of mandarin oranges can grow on the opposite sides of a river, and have such difference in quality that they have different names


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## CraigC (May 24, 2011)

The difference between San Marzano and standard romas is like the difference between Prosciutto san Daniele amd Prosciutto de Parma. That is in Europe and not what is shipped over here. USA that is. You folks in Canada can probably get the real stuff. Stupid FDA!

Craig


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## Dawgluver (May 24, 2011)

CraigC said:
			
		

> The difference between San Marzano and standard romas is like the difference between Prosciutto san Daniele amd Prosciutto de Parma. That is in Europe and not what is shipped over here. USA that is. You folks in Canada can probably get the real stuff. Stupid FDA!
> 
> Craig



So we can't get the real thing in the US?  Why does the FDA have a problem?


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## qmax (May 24, 2011)

GB said:


> There is a difference between San Marzano tomatoes that you grow yourself and ones grown in the San Marzano region of Italy. That is not to say that your tomatoes will not be delicious. The reason San Marzanos from Italy are so prized and different is because of the soil they are grown in.



Terroir?


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## Dawgluver (May 24, 2011)

qmax said:
			
		

> Terroir?



Get the Navy Seals on it!


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## FrankZ (May 24, 2011)

The canned San Marzano tomatoes in my local stores are not iwth the rest of the canned tomatoes.  They are in the special "Italian" section next to the "Mexican" section and across the aisle from the "Chinese" section.

They cost about twice as much here.


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## pacanis (May 24, 2011)

FrankZ said:


> The canned San Marzano tomatoes in my local stores are not iwth the rest of the canned tomatoes. They are in the special "Italian" section next to the "Mexican" section and across the aisle from the "Chinese" section.


 
Caddywhompus from the apple cider?


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## Marco Hornero (May 24, 2011)

*San Marzano Di California...???*

Yes, I'm inclined to say there's something about the Napolitano terroir (I know it's pronounced like TareWah but it's got me thinking about a little mean doggie). The little tag on the label, the DOP thingy (denominatizonne originale proctectionatto???) is supposed to designate that they are from the area on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius near Naples and therefore, AND ONLY THEREFORE, can they be called San Marzanos.    I've ordered a brand called Strianese (sp?) which is yummy as pizza sauce --just smashed and with a tiny bit of oregano and salt. But they are wicked good in Mexican food or anything else that takes kindly to proper 'matery goodness. The sweet/acid/matery flavor balance is Cirque de Solieil tightrope walker perfect. I ordered a dozen or so cans a while back from some place called Taylor's Market in the Stockton/Sacatomatoes area of California.   I've tried to grow them in my little 20-miles-from-from-the-ocean So Cal yard (which is a pretty similar climate to where the Real San Marzano's are grown) but didn't find them too productive. I was only able to directly smash one or two "San Marzanos" from my garden last year to sauce a pie to cook in our pizza oven -- great idea but once again, didn't work as envisioned. But the Strianese maters were there as was the basil in pots. Put a Basil pot on the counter -- plant was hose rinsed in the morning -- and pull leaves to put directly on pizzas moments before hitting the oven. Yum.   Either way, San Marzano maters have a unique, very pizza sauce friendly, flavor which, if you can't grow them, can be purchased in an acceptable canned form.   Once again, I've bloviated more than I've informed. Take this away from my post: Check out the Strianese brand and Taylor's Market somewhere in Central California. And... enjoy.


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## buckytom (May 24, 2011)

i most often use cento brand canned tomatoes, and even they have 2 types that you have to look closely at the lable to differentiate between. the domestic grown ones, and the certified imported from san marzano ones. i've found cento has the best imported san marzanos i've ever tasted. la fede brand is a close second.

i was just at my local plant nursery last week and was about to buy a pack of plum tomatoes grown from certified san marzano seed, and the owner told me not to bother. she suggested i buy the roma variety of plum tomatoes. they supposedly taste better grown in the soil of new jersey as compared to san marzanos.

so i guess it's a two way street. the soil and the variety of the plant has to be match for the best results.


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## Bolas De Fraile (May 25, 2011)

Good morning, as a horny handed son of the sod I like to experiment. This year I have tried to re-create two areas of soil for Potatoes and Toms.
In Europe as you now food from certain regions are protected by law.
The famous Jersey Royal new potato is in fact the International Kidney, I grew them last year and although they were good they neither had the shape or flavor of the Jersey Royal. The J/R is grown on the south facing slopes next to the sea and mulched and fed with seaweed, so last summer we collected seaweed washed it and composted it with grass cuttings. I then dumped it in south facing cold frame and planted the International Kidneys, I will also starve them of water (this is the clue to San Marzipano) using the glass covers to recreate the slope and soil Lanzarote
Lanzarote is a  volcanic island with little rain, the soil is poor and the King Edward pots they grow there are also very small but they have an intense flavor. I had to burn a lot of old conifers and the branches of 4 fruit trees that we cut down, so we had huge bonfire in the bottom paddock, this sterilised the soil and killed the grass.I then used my Merry Tiller to work the huge amount of ash into the soil and about 7 weeks ago I planted it with King Edwards, and three weeks ago I added some Roma's, the Roma's are about a third smaller than the toms I planted in the "normal" soil in the main veg plots.
Commercial growers of toms in Holland grow them in huge hydroponic greenhouses, they grow quickly are full of water and have no flavor, Toms turn red not because of the sun but because of ethylene gas so they are picked unripe for transportation the hit with ethylene gas in a dark local distribution warehouse.
The structure, drainage and climate, not the minerals in the soil  is responsible for unique.
Ps my normal compost is made the Bob Flowerdew ( famous UK gardener) way, I pee on it, this increases the nitrogen content and aids the organic break down


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## CraigC (May 25, 2011)

Dawgluver said:


> So we can't get the real thing in the US? Why does the FDA have a problem?


 
The "real thing" for most markets is cured 300 days. US rules require a minimum of 400 days. The Italians do make a "specialty" cured for 2-1/2 years. I'm sure you can imagine that the texture and taste will be different with 300 vs 400 days curing. If you try it in Europe you would notice the difference. Pretty sure the Serrano ham is different as well.

Craig


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## trip74 (Jun 3, 2011)

buckytom said:


> i've found cento has the best imported san marzanos i've ever tasted. la fede brand is a close second.



I recently found San Marzano tomatoes and have been very pleased by the results of using them in my dishes. Here in Austin, I've found that the Central Market brand has the DOP labeling and were very good. I'll have to keep my eyes out for other versions to try.

I tried to order some from Cento's web site to try them out. However, not only were the cans more expensive (which is fine, I was willing to pay), but the shipping and handling was more than the tomatoes themselves. yikes!

The labels look familiar. I'll have to keep an eye out for them in the stores.


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## Hyperion (Jun 8, 2011)

maybe something's wrong with my tongue, but when I tasted Pastene's DOP san marzano tomato (canned), it doesn't taste different from regular ones except blander?


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## The OutDoor Chef (Jun 8, 2011)

Hyperion said:


> maybe something's wrong with my tongue, but when I tasted Pastene's DOP san marzano tomato (canned), it doesn't taste different from regular ones except blander?


Hyperion.

In my humble opinion. I really don't think it matters, I've tried them as well. And I've tried other canned tomatoes. I've found the San Marzano to be a little more gritty and a little more salty, unless I got a bad batch of the tomatoes.


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