Tomatoes from the Tomato Emperor
What are Stekovics tomatoes? Pickled, semi-dried, and puréed tomatoes made from old, almost forgotten varieties, processed by hand in Frauenkirchen, Burgenland. Not mass-produced supermarket items, but rare delicacies in a jar, from oven-roasted tomatoes to tomato vinegar.
Stekovics tomatoes are pickled, semi-dried, and puréed tomatoes from Erich Stekovics, the Tomato Emperor of Lake Neusiedl. In his garden in Burgenland, over 3,000 heirloom tomato varieties grow, six of which find their way into jars here, carefully cleaned by hand, sliced, and preserved in late-harvest vinegar or rapeseed oil. "Paradeiser" is what Austrians call tomatoes, and hardly anyone knows them as well as he does.
Over 3,000 heirloom tomato varieties in one garden
Erich Stekovics guards the world's largest collection of tomato seeds—over 3,000 varieties that have long since disappeared from conventional agriculture. Like Noah with his ark, he preserves what would otherwise be lost and has spent years searching for long-forgotten flavors. His parents already grew fruits and vegetables in open-air fields, and the fascination with the journey from seed to ripe fruit has never left him.
Together with his wife Priska, he grows tomatoes in Frauenkirchen on Lake Neusiedl that you won't find on any supermarket shelf: tiny cocktail and wild tomatoes, meaty rarities, and sun-sweetened heirlooms. After being pickled, the small wild tomatoes retain their shape, color, and bite, as if the harvest had just finished. Everything Erich sows is full of flavor. The entire variety of Stekovics products draws from this abundance, and you can find six tomato specialties gathered here in jars.
Hand-processed and pickled in the best vinegar
In the workshop, every tomato is cleaned and cut by hand before being placed into a jar; nothing here goes through a conveyor belt. The tomato chutney simmers for 8 to 10 hours in a copper kettle, delicately seasoned with sugar, fruit vinegar, and Indian spices. Other varieties dry slowly in the oven overnight until their flavor intensifies. The late-harvest vinegar, in which many of the rarities are preserved, is a fine drop in its own right and highlights their subtle aromas.
This is how the semi-dried oven-roasted tomatoes in rapeseed oil with garlic, rosemary, and sea salt are created. Those seeking pure flavor reach for the puréed tomatoes, completely free of salt and sugar—intense and well-rounded, just like Grandma's tomatoes.
Even the "Emperor Vinegar" matures at its own pace, made from the juice of fully ripe tomatoes and a vinegar mother. Every jar bears the hallmark of a man who was once a religious studies teacher before becoming a gardener of his own passion.
On bread, in pasta, with good cheese
Stekovics tomatoes like things sociable, juicy, spicy, and sun-ripened. The tomato tartare works well as a pesto for pasta, stirred into cream cheese, or as a dip for fresh raw vegetables.
The Emperor Vinegar is a wonderful addition to arugula, tomato, and mozzarella salads, while the sweet-and-sour wild cocktail tomatoes accompany braised meat or cold snacks—250 grams in the jar, with a drained weight of 160 grams. Our pantry tip is the puréed tomatoes, an honest base for sauces, soups, or goulash. If you prefer things hotter afterward, reach for the chili specialties, and in addition to the tomatoes, it's worth checking out the pepper rarities. A well-filled jar also makes a lovely gift for anyone who appreciates honest flavor. This is what summer in a jar tastes like.
