San Marzano Tomatoes

Attianese San Marzano DOP tomatoes, the older brand alongside Italianavera

San Marzano tomatoes from Attianese carry the protected designation of origin of the Agro Sarnese Nocerino and are grown in the volcanic soils between Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast. The retro can with its 1960s-style print comes from the same Campanian family that later also gave rise to Italianavera.

San Marzano tomatoes from Attianese are the protected Pomodoro San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese Nocerino variety, packed in their own tomato juice. Elongated, with few seeds and firm flesh, they are considered the benchmark for every red sauce in Campania—for Attianese just as much as for Italianavera.

Low-seed, fleshy, and quickly turned into a sauce

The fruit has an elongated structure and contains few seeds, but dense flesh that releases surprisingly little water when heated. Crushed in a hot pan, it breaks down into a creamy sugo within a quarter of an hour, without the need for lengthy reduction.

Those who prefer them chunky, for a bruschetta or a quick pan sauce, will retain clearly identifiable pieces that hold their shape even after heating. The juice in the can comes from the same harvest and is simply added to the pot when cooking.

The taste remains mild and slightly sweet, with an acidity that stays in the background instead of pushing to the fore. This is precisely why a sauce made from this variety possesses its own natural sweetness and requires only salt, garlic, and good olive oil.

Pizza sauce, sugo, and long braising

On a pizza, this variety is a Neapolitan staple because its mild aroma remains perceptible even under cheese and the heat of the oven. Crushed raw, with a little salt and a basil leaf, the sauce for a tray is ready in minutes.

In a ragù, a goulash, or a slowly braised ratatouille, it provides a depth that shorter-cooked sauces lack. A tomato soup also turns out more rounded with them, as the fruit provides its own binding quality, meaning the soup does not need to be thickened with flour.

If you have sauce left over, fill it into a jar, cover it with a spoonful of olive oil, and keep it chilled. Store the rest from an opened can the same way; it will keep for two to three days without any loss in quality.

You can find the same variety in a colorful can with the Pomodoro San Marzano from Italianavera, and further Italian staples for your pasta kitchen are available under Pasta, Risotto and Sugo.

The Sarno Valley between Vesuvius and the Amalfi Coast

The Sarno River has deposited a plain of volcanic ash between Vesuvius and the mountains of the Amalfi Coast that is loose, warm, and mineral-rich. It is precisely this soil that gives the variety its slender shape and the restrained acidity for which it is sought after throughout Italy.

The protected designation Agro Sarnese Nocerino has been in effect since 1996 and is named after the municipalities around Sarno and Nocera Inferiore. Anyone wishing to print this on their label must grow the tomatoes within these borders and have the ripe fruit harvested by hand.

The label on the can retains the design aesthetic of the years when canned goods were still the most important pantry staple in the South. You will recognize it immediately on the shelf alongside the colorful cans from Italianavera, and it will keep in your pantry for the entire season.

Contents 400g – Drained weight 240g