The Ultimate Guide to the World's Favourite Tomatoes
San Marzano tomatoes are heavily marketed and considered as Lamborghini of canned tomatoes varieties all over the world.
These red Italian tomatoes are sold with high price tags as compared to other Italian tomatoes.
According to loyalists, this famed Italian food product is well worth the hefty price tags.
These tomatoes are unarguably the most beloved and best-canned tomatoes. They are sweeter in taste than other canned tomatoes, and their intensity and acidity help to balance out cheese and meats.
They are a great pantry ingredient and ideal for making sauces like Marinara sauce and others. Here, we will take about san Marzano tomatoes UK in detail.
Are you ready? Let’s get into it!
What Are san Marzano tomatoes?
San Marzano tomato is quite similar to Roma tomatoes, but they ate more pointed and thinner than Roma tomatoes.
They have fewer seeds, which make them much sweeter in taste and less acidic than other varieties of tomatoes. The walls of San Marzano tomatoes are thicker. They are grown in a warm climate, originally produced in Sarno River valley, Italy.
This area is located near Mount Vesuvius, where rich volcanic soil supplies this plant with all the nutrients which make them different from other plum tomatoes. This is an ideal location to grow San Marzano tomato plants because it has a very high water table.
Throughout their growth, plants get the necessary water supply due to this high water table.
Why Use them?
If we say San Marzano tomatoes are the only organized name when it comes to canned tomatoes, it won’t be wrong. They are perfect for making sauces due to their extra sweetness, less acidity and seeds and more pulp.
The long and pulpy tomatoes are not only different in taste, but they are structurally distinct from other tomatoes verities as they have just two seed pockets instead of five.
San Marzano tomatoes are plum tomato that is famous for its signature sweet taste and elongated shape. They are not only prized in Italy but also around the world for their sweet flavour.
They have low water content than other tomatoes, which makes them a great choice for making sauces like pizza sauce and for canning.
Why are they so much better?
San Marzano is a specific variety of plum tomatoes that are grown in Agro Sarnese Nocerino at the foot of Mount Vesuvius in the Campania region of Italy. This area is located near Naples.
Farmers grow them in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. The nutrient-rich volcanic soil produces meaty, less acidic and sweeter tomatoes. These are true San Marzano tomatoes that are grown in this region of Italy.
They have given D.O.P. by EU (protected designation of origin) status due to its varietal and terroir uniqueness.
They are also structurally distinct from other varieties of tomatoes as they are long and contain thicker walls that are lined with two seed pockets. This accounts for the low acidity of San Marzano tomatoes and makes a much sweeter plump tomato variety.
The plants of San Marzano are very delicate; that’s why they are handpicked immediately when they ripen.
Their high quality, fewer seeds and thicker flesh make them perfect to use in cooking.
Benefits of Using Them
San Marzano tomatoes are not only different in taste and meaty; they also come with various benefits. Here are the benefits of using them:
Fight cancer
Found in Southern Italy and grown in the fertile volcanic soil, San Marzano tomatoes are considered the best due to their intense flavour and cancer-fighting properties.
They are bright red in colour and high in pectin. Their less acidity, high density and thinner skin make them tasty and easy to eat.
According to a study published in the Journal of Cellular Physiology, researchers have found that the two Southern Italian varieties named Corbarino and San Marzano’s extract may help to stop the growth of stomach cancer cells.
They prevent the cells from adapting malignant features.
This study concluded that it helps to prevent and treat gastric cancer. The team of researchers analyzed that the whole tomato extract can fight gastric cancer cells.
They found that the extract of these southern Italian tomato varieties helped to stop the growth of cancer cells and to take on malignant properties. The tomato extract appeared to have affected the major processes inside these cancer cells, which led to their death eventually.
Good For immunity
A lot of studies have been conducted on tomatoes that show that having a good amount of tomatoes can improve your immune system; especially, it helps to fight virus and bacteria in the track of respiratory organs.
Moreover, it helps the reproductive organs to function properly.
Good for the eyesight
Tomatoes are very low in fat and have a good amount of Vitamin C. They also contain vitamin A which is good for our immune system and eyesight.
If you want to have good eyesight, consider adding more tomato serving in your daily meals. They are not only good in taste but bring plenty of health benefits too.
Low fat
San Marzano tomatoes are viewed as the best for using in cooking and making sauces. This tomato sauce can be a tasty addition to your everyday meal.
Its sauce has a lot of benefits with making your dishes finger-licking tastier. They are low in fat, especially if you compare them with other salad dressings and mayonnaise.
People who take a regular intake of sauces may lose weight. However, its regular intake is not good for health because research studies have shown that it may be a gradual increase in cholesterol levels and LDL.
Where to buy San Marzano tomatoes?
San Marzano tomatoes are the all-time favourite for pasta and pizza sauces. They are a good source of vitamins and bursting with flavour. That’s why they are a staple in every kitchen in Italy.
If you are looking to buy San Marzano canned tomatoes uk, you can buy them from Amazon UK, Tesco and Souschef’s website. You can even buy them online.
FAQ's on San Marzano Tomatoes
Where can I buy San Marzano tomatoes?
Don’t know where to buy San Marzano tomatoes uk? You can find them on Tesco and Amazon. If you are looking to buy D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes, they buy them from the Italian Food Online Store, as here you can find the Italian grown San Marzano tomatoes at an affordable price.
What is so special about San Marzano tomatoes?
The special thing about san Marzano tomatoes is their varietal and terroir uniqueness. It is unique where they are from. However, you can grow them in other parts of the world, but the taste will be different. They are grown in the San Marzano Sul Sarno, which is near to Naples, which is home to the world’s best pizza.
This plum tomatoes sauce is used in Naples-style pizza as a pizza base. As this specific tomato variety is grown in fertile volcanic soil that gives them a lower acidity and sweet taste, which makes them special. They are very similar to Roma tomato and have thick skin that you can peel easily.
Above all, it comes with fewer seeds and meatier. All of these things make these special plum tomatoes ideal for classic Neapolitan pizza sauce, which is made with salt and just tomatoes.
What is a substitute for San Marzano tomatoes?
There’s no surprise that these tomatoes are the gold standard of canned san Marzano tomatoes UK. They are famous for their balanced flavour that combines the right amount of acidity, intensity and sweetness. They are thinner and longer as compared to other tomatoes.
Moreover, they are less juicy and meatier that makes them excellent for canning. They are ideal for tomato-focused sauces. That’s why home cooks and chefs use them to make sauces, especially pizza sauce. But when they are not available, you can use their substitutes. Let’s check out the substitute for San Marzano tomatoes.
Other Canned Tomatoes
When Italian grown and other San Marzano-type tomatoes are not available, you can use other plum tomatoes in their place. However, their flavour is not as fine as true San Marzano tomatoes, but their texture will be similar once you drain them.
All you need to taste the sauce frequently and adjust the flavourings to compensate for the loss of San Marzano’s taste.
Fresh San Marzanos
True San Marzano tomatoes are sold in canes, but if they are not available, you can buy fresh San Marzano tomatoes from the local market.
When you are going to substitute fresh San Marzano tomatoes for canned San Marzano tomatoes, all you need to blanch them for a couple of minutes in boiling water in order to separate their skin.
Now transfer the tomatoes into a bowl filled with ice water to prevent additional cooking.
Now peel off their skin and cut them into two pieces; squeeze out their seeds and juice. Then cook them down and make your favourite sauce.
Andy
Ever since I started cooking I’ve been fascinated by how different people’s techniques are and how they best utilise the ingredients around them. Even the person living next door will have their own unique way of frying an egg or cooking a salmon fillet.
This fascination led me on a journey across the globe to discover the countless practices and traditions the world of cooking has to offer. I thought you’d enjoy and find value in sharing that journey with me so I created Cooked Best!