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Home » 1,000 Foods To Eat Project

San Marzano Tomatoes - 1,000 Foods To Eat Project

Jul 16, 2020Last Modified: January 19, 2022

This page may contain affiliate links. So I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about San Marzano Tomatoes, one of the foods in my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project!

Cento Brand San Marzano Tomatoes
Cento San Marzano Tomatoes

1,000 Foods To Eat Project

I am working my way through the foods that are listed in the book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton. This is called my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project. San Marzano Tomatoes is Food #35 in my project. 🙂

Jump to:
  • 1,000 Foods To Eat Project
  • What Are San Marzano Tomatoes?
  • DOP Certification
  • Spicy Pasta Puttanesca
  • Some Other Foods In The 1,000 Foods to Eat Project!
1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die Front Jacket

What Are San Marzano Tomatoes?

Many people who are knowledgeable about tomatoes consider San Marzano tomatoes the best on earth. Why?

They are grown in the Naples region of Italy, close to Mount Vesuvius. The soil around this area is extremely fruitful due to its proximity to Vesuvius. Characteristic of these tomatoes are:

  • Firm pulp
  • Sweet flavor
  • Skins slip off easily
  • Low seed count
  • Deep red color
San Marzano Tomatoes

Now, it seems there is some controversy as to whether these delicious tomatoes are actually worth it. Truly, I think they are. I didn't do a taste test with other tomatoes but I did use them in a Spicy Pasta Puttanesca sauce and I have no complaints, none whatsoever. 🙂

DOP Certification

There is a certifying body for these tomatoes called Denominazione di Origine Protetta which means "Protected Designation of Origin." To obtain this Certification, the tomatoes need to be grown and packaged according to some pretty strict rules. This designation ensures the highest quality product.

Here is an interesting article on DOP Foods of Italy from WalksOfItaly.com. In addition to these tomatoes, DOP certifications are also granted to olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano, and proscuitto among other foods. In order for a food to have DOP certification, the label must state that it is DOP certified.

Cento San Marzano Tomatoes
Cento San Marzano Tomatoes

I looked for the DOP Certification on the Cento San Marzano canned tomatoes that I purchased. It wasn't there. So I did a little digging, and discovered that Cento San Marzano's used to be DOP certified, but there was some issue over their label not conforming to a new organization's requirements.

Cento San Marzano's are now certified by Agri-Cert, which is the largest 3rd party certifying body in the European Union. If you'd like to read more about this, please view this article called "The Truth About San Marzano Tomatoes" on the Cento website.

I'm happy to say that I am completely enchanted with Cento San Marzano Tomatoes, DOP Certified or not! These cans even have a lot code on the top or bottom of the can. You can submit your lot code on Find My Field and view the field in the Sarnese Nocerino area of Italy where your tomatoes were grown. Pretty cool indeed!

Spicy Pasta Puttanesca

I decided to try the San Marzano Tomatoes in a Spicy Pasta Puttanesca. WOW! I cannot source fresh San Marzano tomatoes where I live, so I used canned San Marzano tomatoes by Cento.

Spicy Pasta Puttanesca and salad

It was absolutely delicious! I believe I will be exclusively using these tomatoes from now on. 🙂

Spicy Pasta Puttanesca
Get the recipe for Spicy Pasta Puttanesca here!

I had some leftover San Marzano's after making my Spicy Pasta Puttanesca, so I used those in The BEST Tomato Basil Chicken recipe that I have here on this site. 🙂 It was SUPERB!

Tomato Basil Chicken
The BEST Tomato Basil Chicken

In conclusion, I hope you will try these AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS tomatoes in your next meal that requires tomatoes! If you can get fresh ones awesome! If not, then try the canned version which is absolutely delicious as well!

Some Other Foods In The 1,000 Foods to Eat Project!

Japanese Eggplant

Japanese Eggplant

French Tarragon Chicken

French Tarragon Chicken

Please follow along with me on this quest to try the 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, from the book by Mimi Sheraton! Join me in this journey and discover new foods, experiences, and cuisines which I hope will add inspiration, fun, and joy to your life! For a list of the foods tried so far visit the 1,000 Foods to Eat Project page.

Please join me by signing up here. 🙂

Cheers!

Grace

« Easy And Perfect Spicy Pasta Puttanesca
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About Me

Hi I’m Grace! I'm married and a mom to my fur baby, Toby, and food and travel are two of my greatest passions! Since our bank account does not allow us to travel or eat out as much as we'd like, I decided I would cook delicious meals that could give us a taste of all the places we'd like to go. My goal is to get you in the kitchen, and inspire you to cook and taste delightful meals that will transport you too. Let’s throw some actual travel in from time to time, all with an emphasis on keeping your wallet full and happy as well. Let’s get cooking and let’s start exploring!! I'm excited to be on this journey with you!!

By the way most of these recipes are Toby taste tested and Toby approved!!

Chief Taste Tester Toby

Toby Chief Taste Tester

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