What exactly is San Marzano "style"?

[foodieX2]

Saw these at BJ's recently, Contadina brand canned tomatoes that were labeled with big letters SAN MARZANO and under that, in much smaller script, "style".

San Marzano tomatoes are grown in a specific region in Italy. Many believe they are best canned tomatoes you can buy. There a blogs about them. Chefs speak of them in rapturous tones.They have their own official seal meant to protect people from "fake" ones.

I get "italian style" but this seems like a marketing ploy that is hoping the average consumer won't look too closely.

What am I missing? What makes a tomato San Marzano "style"?

[Joyfull]

I searched out San Marzano DOP tomatoes as I wanted to try Marcella Hazans tomato sauce after reading so much hype about it online. It took a while to find the "real thing" as most San Marzano tomatoes on the shelves did not have the DOP on the label.
I don't know if that could be considered missleading advertising as both brands of San Marzano tomatoes, DOP and non DOP I purchased claim they're from the San Marzano region on the labels.
The DOP tomatoes I bought were on sale for $4.99 which I thought was quite dear compared to what I usually pay for canned tomatoes, but I wanted the real thing if I was going to make the famous Marcella Hazan tomato sauce so I reluctantly paid the 10 bucks minus 2 cents, for two tins of tomatoes.

I've made the sauce a few times since & although it is tasty, I wouldn't say it's spectacular or "the best" like I've read so many times online. I made the sauce with the expensive DOP San Marzanos and with less expensive San Marzanos that are not DOP, & to be perfectly honest, I/we found little or no difference in taste between the two. Which leaves me to wonder if the DOP San Marzano tomatoes are overhyped and we the consumers have been suckered into buying them?

[chefirish]

Hi Joyful, have you tasted the different tomatoes right from the can? I find the DOP tomatoes sweeter and a little heavier.

[chefirish]

Real San Marzano tomatoes are grown in the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius in Sicily, Italy. You can buy heirloom seeds and grow them anywhere but they will not be like the sweet meaty tomatoes from Italy.

[ela_tarantella]

Basically, the name "San Marzano" has been appropriated by people that sell tomatoes. This appropriation has been going on for so long that Americans commonly recognize San Marzano as a variety of tomato, regardless of place of origin. The fact is that according to EU Law, a tomato may bear the name "San Marzano" only if it is grown in the Agro Sarnese Nocerino area of Campania (outside Naples), along with other requirements. Unfortunately this EU law is not upheld at all in the USA and something like 95% of all "San Marzano tomatoes" sold in the US are not actually San Marzano.

It is really difficult to know by reading a label if tomatoes are real San Marzano. One thing you should look for, as bob96, mentioned is the Consorzio San Marzano. This is what the consortium's seal looks like and it should be displayed on the label. This is my guide to understanding if a can of San Marzano Tomatoes are real: http://gustiamo.typepad.com/gustiblog...

Once you eat a #RealSanMarzano tomato though, the difference will be obvious!

[GH1618]

I use both D.O.P. San Marzanos and California "San Marzanos." I don't think the supposed differences matter much. There clearly are not enough tomatoes from San Marzano to supply the entire world market for high quality canned tomatoes, and North America is capable of producing perfectly good tomatoes.

[bob96]

I also use both DOP San Marzano and other Italian grown peeled tomatoes. With a long cooked ragu, it makes little difference, and many Italians will use bottles of passato for their Sunday ragu with no harm. For a quick sugo (including a plain sauce or puttanesca and similar quick sauces), however, there is a difference, not just in varietal taste (San Marzanos tend to have a better acid balance and break down more quickly, keeping the sugo fresher tasting, than other plum varietals. The other difference is packing--I always try to use tomatoes of any kind packed in juice, not puree, which makes everything murky and dull. Many DOPs are packed in puree, alas, due, I've read to some EU reg or trade incentive or whatever. Still, I'd advise checking the label. It makes a difference.

[bob96]

There's a fairly detailed set of regulations covering the production of DOP San Marzano in selected areas in the provinces around Naples, including varieties (2), harvest dates and methods, etc. Most canned Italian tomatoes or pelati are not, obviously, San Marzano DOP but can be any from any number of plum tomato varieties grown in Puglia, Emilia-Romagna, Basilicata, and other regions. As others have noted, the DOP seal assures authenticity, but does not always guarantee high quality or even enjoyment--you might well favor other types of peeled, canned tomatoes, and there are excellent (and cheaper) brands from Italy available. Here's a link to the San Marzano Consortium:http://www.consorziopomodorosanmarzan...

[mbfant]

As others have said, San Marzano tomatoes have a DOP designation, but the seeds are grown elsewhere and the tomatoes are called San Marzano. The DOP exists to differentiate the tomatoes grown in the original place and, I assume but haven't checked, by specified methods. So San Marzano "style" would have to be a rung (at least) lower on the ladder than San Marzano grown elsewhere. I would guess the can contains plum tomatoes of unspecified varieties, possibly several, of which some may be San Marzano. Either that or the company needs an editor to help them write labels that say what they mean.

[junescook]

San Marzano is a true heirloom variety (i.e. it can be grown from its own seeds) which, if it is grown in the Sarno Valley in Italy, may be labeled as DOP. While terroire is going to affect anything you grow in your garden, I think anyone who regularly who grows and uses plum tomatoes might want to give these a try in their garden next to their usuals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marz...

[calumin]

I think there is something to DOP San Marzano tomatoes. But when you deviate from that the results can start to get uneven. Although the cultivar is a good one other factors start to play a role.

I actually think Muir Glen (which is not San Marzano) has better canned tomatoes than the one from the "San Marzano" company (white can with the red tomato on it, and with Italian writing on it even though it is a completely domestic company selling only to US consumers).

[pine time]

IIRC, that white can to which you refer, is, as you said domestic and is NOT DOP. And they sell it locally for over $4. a can--outrageous, in my opinion.

[GH1618]

There's nothing "fake" about San Marzanos which are not from San Marzano unless they are fraudulently marked "D. O. P." I use the "San Marzano" brand of US-grown tomato for sauce. It is a San-Marzano variety, and it is correctly marked as to its origin. Nothing "fake" about it.

But I don't know what San Marzano "style" means.

[treb]

You get it completely, it's a marketing ploy. Real San Marzano's will at a DOP marking on the can.

[GH1618]

It's not a "ploy" if the San Marzano cultivar is used.

[junescook]

It is a variety of tomato. We bought plants at a garden center last year and were very happy with them. They are significantly meatier and have less juice and seeds than romas, and are high producers. You can find seeds at several seed companies.

http://www.burpee.com/organic-gardening/organic-tomatoes/tomato-san-marzano-organic-prod002164.html

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7934-san...

[pine time]

We also grew San Marzano tomatoes last year, and they were just okay--nothing special, and I wouldn't grow them again. Could well be our soil (San Diego, very alkaline).

The most common cans of "San Marzano" tomatoes in the grocery store here are also grown in the U.S.--they are expensive; I tried them once and was disappointed. Look for the DOP label if you want the real thing.

[junescook]

Perhaps it was your soil, whether the pH, watering issues or nutrients. It's advisable to do a soil test every three years.

We wound up canning 35 quarts of sauce and freezing several others, and I found that it got to that nice thick stage while still maintaining nice, fresh flavor, because it was ready in less time than with the romas. We will definitely grown them again this summer.

[ohmyyum]

In addition to being a DOP in Italy, San Marzano is a specific type of tomato. I'm guessing San Marzano style means that the tomatoes were grown from San Marzano seeds, outside of the DOP, perhaps somewhere in the US.

[ohmyyum]

ETA, For the real thing, look for the DOP seal and Product of Italy or imported from Italy on the label.