San Marzano Tomatoes – in their own juice

San Marzano tomatoes from Campania, canned in their own juice

Viani San Marzano tomatoes are whole, peeled tomatoes of the San Marzano variety from Campania, harvested sun-ripened and canned in their own juice – the honest base for pasta sauce, ratatouille, and goulash.

The San Marzano tomatoes from the Antonio Viani selection are whole, peeled tomatoes in their own juice, grown in the volcanic soils at the foot of Mount Vesuvius in Campania. Elongated, fleshy, with thin skin and few seeds – this is how the San Marzano type is known in Italian cuisine, and that is exactly how it comes out of the can: straightforward, full-bodied in flavor, and ready for the pot. One can is easily enough to make a sauce for four people.

San Marzano Due – the tomato that reinvented itself

A few decades ago, the original San Marzano tomato was nearly wiped out by fungal diseases; hardly any farms were still growing them. Campanian breeders then crossed a more resilient successor variety, San Marzano Due, which preserves the shape, flesh, and aroma of the original while growing more robustly. Since 1996, the original San Marzano tomato from the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino region has been protected by EU law as a DOP product – these tomatoes do not bear the seal, but they honestly continue the character of the San Marzano family: same soil, same region, same elongated shape.

Fruity, sweet, and with a fine acidity

Canned in their own juice, the flesh remains firm and can be easily crushed with a fork. The flavor is fruity, slightly sweet, and carries a fine acidity that tastes of the Campanian sun. Unlike round tomato varieties, the San Marzano has few seeds and low water content – ideal for a sauce that doesn't need to simmer for hours to become thick.

The juice in the can is also strong enough to base a soup or sauce on directly, without needing to add tomato paste. Season carefully at the start: the San Marzano naturally brings its own sweetness, often requiring only a pinch of salt and some pepper.

From the can to the plate

You can roughly crush the tomatoes and simmer them into a quick sauce with garlic, olive oil, and basil, cut them into pieces to use as a base for ratatouille or goulash, or leave them whole and purée them for a hearty tomato soup. A bay leaf and a sprig of thyme in the pot round off the aroma even further, without it tasting like a herb garden.

Served with bronze-cut spaghetti from the Abruzzo region, they make a sauce in just a few minutes that tastes like more than its short cooking time. When used on pizza and cut into pieces, a drizzle of good olive oil and some oregano are usually all you need.

Solania – Handcrafted in Sarno

The tomatoes are canned at Solania in Sarno: around 70 contract farmers from the region deliver the harvest as soon as the fruit has reached its full color, hand-picked and processed within a few hours. A rhythm dictated by the sun, not the calendar, which preserves the freshness of the tomatoes right into the can.

They are brought to Germany by Antonio Viani. You can find more from the Italian range in the Antonio Viani Imports collection, and further canned tomatoes in the Canned Tomatoes overview – including the 'Vintage' San Marzano tomatoes in a nostalgic can, the same tomato in a different outfit. This way, Campania tastes just as vibrant in January as it does in August.

For a good sauce, the can is therefore more important than any recipe, because what isn't in the tomato cannot be conjured up by the pot.

Content 400 g – Drained weight 260 g