here's how to tell if the San Marzano's you buy are the real thing.
Evidently most of them sold in the US are frauds.

http://gustiamo.typepad.com/gustiblo...n-marzano.html

ImStillMags wrote:
> here's how to tell if the San Marzano's you buy are the real thing.
> Evidently most of them sold in the US are frauds.
>
> http://gustiamo.typepad.com/gustiblo...n-marzano.html

I buy the certified ones (marked so) by Cento grown and packed in Italy.
Yet the commissary had both the certified Cento ones as well as the
"implied" fakes by Cento. The fakes were cheaper and crushed. Just today
I paid $3.99/32 oz can at the military commissary for the real McCoys.
The fakes were $2<something>

On 2011-08-18, Goomba > wrote:

> I paid $3.99/32 oz can at the military commissary for the real McCoys.
> The fakes were $2<something>

The question to you, is, which is better.

I've seen too many chefs with the means and wherewithall to afford/buy
the real deal say it's all nonsense. That quality fresh canned
tomatoes in the US are as good as anything from Italy. I'm certainly
not paying dbl fer a freakin' canned tomato.

nb

On Aug 17, 6:44*pm, notbob > wrote:
> On 2011-08-18, Goomba > wrote:
>
> > I paid $3.99/32 oz can at the military commissary for the real McCoys.
> > The fakes were $2<something>
>
> The question to you, is, which is better. *
>
> I've seen too many chefs with the means and wherewithall to afford/buy
> the real deal say it's all nonsense. *That quality fresh canned
> tomatoes in the US are as good as anything from Italy. *I'm certainly
> not paying dbl fer a freakin' canned tomato.
>
> nb

I have done a side by side comparison in the past. The San
Marzano's won hands down.

notbob wrote:
>Goomba wrote:
>
>> I paid $3.99/32 oz can at the military commissary for the real McCoys.
>> The fakes were $2<something>
>
>The question to you, is, which is better.
>
>I've seen too many chefs with the means and wherewithall to afford/buy
>the real deal say it's all nonsense. That quality fresh canned
>tomatoes in the US are as good as anything from Italy. I'm certainly
>not paying dbl fer a freakin' canned tomato.

I've found the tomatoes canned in the US better than those canned in
Italy, they taste better, look better, and are half the price... there
are certainly some foods imported from Italy that are better than
their US counterparts but not tomatoes.

"Brooklyn1" <Gravesend1> wrote in message
...
> notbob wrote:
>>Goomba wrote:
>>
>>> I paid $3.99/32 oz can at the military commissary for the real McCoys.
>>> The fakes were $2<something>
>>
>>The question to you, is, which is better.
>>
>>I've seen too many chefs with the means and wherewithall to afford/buy
>>the real deal say it's all nonsense. That quality fresh canned
>>tomatoes in the US are as good as anything from Italy. I'm certainly
>>not paying dbl fer a freakin' canned tomato.
>
> I've found the tomatoes canned in the US better than those canned in
> Italy, they taste better, look better, and are half the price... there
> are certainly some foods imported from Italy that are better than
> their US counterparts but not tomatoes.


IIRC the US (it wasn't the US yet) introduced tomatoes to Italy and hence
introduced tomatoes to Italian cuisine. I'm thinking Christopher Columbus.
Might even go as far back as Marco Polo (who introduced pasta to Italy from
China). I'm sure not buying imported canned tomatoes when I can buy the
same thing that is grown and canned locally.

Jill

Il 18/08/2011 18:37, jmcquown ha scritto:

> IIRC the US (it wasn't the US yet) introduced tomatoes to Italy and
> hence introduced tomatoes to Italian cuisine. I'm thinking Christopher
> Columbus.



He brougth tomatoes to europe and they got used as decorative plants.
Then someone had a bite and they became food, but it took a century or
alike. Then, in Italy tomatoes grew so well that they spread all over,
and the weather and soil contributed to the birth of some very special
strains as san marzano, pachino, roma and many other local varieties.
It's like if a "raw" vegetable from the new world got to the old world
and evolved there. And it didn't happen in Sweden, by the way... But
what about all those strains of tomatoes who never made their way to
Europe, isn't there something new and interesting there also? I bet a
car wheel that something is boiling under the lid, discovery and
re-discovery of old or ancient varieties is a consolidated trend now and
you, there, have the oldest strains ever of tomato. I'm positive
someone's working on that
North America offers a lot of temperate areas who can be similar to
Italy, mediterranean influx apart (which however doesn't cover the whole
nation).

> Might even go as far back as Marco Polo (who introduced pasta
> to Italy from China).

Make lasagna instead! LOL
[a proud northerner]

> I'm sure not buying imported canned tomatoes when
> I can buy the same thing that is grown and canned locally.

This is almost always the best move
--
Vilco
And the Family Stone
baconnaise, because ALL must taste like bacon

On Aug 18, 12:37*pm, "jmcquown" > wrote:
> "Brooklyn1" <Gravesend1> wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > notbob wrote:
> >>Goomba wrote:
>
> >>> I paid $3.99/32 oz can at the military commissary for the real McCoys..
> >>> The fakes were $2<something>
>
> >>The question to you, is, which is better.
>
> >>I've seen too many chefs with the means and wherewithall to afford/buy
> >>the real deal say it's all nonsense. *That quality fresh canned
> >>tomatoes in the US are as good as anything from Italy. *I'm certainly
> >>not paying dbl fer a freakin' canned tomato.
>
> > I've found the tomatoes canned in the US better than those canned in
> > Italy, they taste better, look better, and are half the price... there
> > are certainly some foods imported from Italy that are better than
> > their US counterparts but not tomatoes.
>
> IIRC the US (it wasn't the US yet) introduced tomatoes to Italy and hence
> introduced tomatoes to Italian cuisine. *I'm thinking Christopher Columbus.
> Might even go as far back as Marco Polo (who introduced pasta to Italy from
> China). * I'm sure not buying imported canned tomatoes when I can buy the
> same thing that is grown and canned locally.
>
> Jill

Cento sells canned Italian plum tomatoes and at a higher price, canned
San Marzano plum tomatoes. Do your own taste test and see. There's no
doubt that they are different; whether you prefer that difference is
naturally a matter of taste. They are grown in the volcanic soil near
Vesuvius, and are also genetically different.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.

jmcquown wrote:
>
> IIRC the US (it wasn't the US yet) introduced tomatoes to Italy and hence
> introduced tomatoes to Italian cuisine. I'm thinking Christopher Columbus.
> Might even go as far back as Marco Polo (who introduced pasta to Italy from
> China). I'm sure not buying imported canned tomatoes when I can buy the
> same thing that is grown and canned locally.

Tomatoes are a New World food. Marco Polo never
travelled to the New World, and it's debatable
whether he even made it to China.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024221

And he certainly didn't introduce pasta to Italy.

On Wednesday, August 17, 2011 8:44:11 PM UTC-5, notbob wrote:
> On 2011-08-18, Goomba > wrote:
>
> > I paid $3.99/32 oz can at the military commissary for the real McCoys.
> > The fakes were $2<something>
>
> The question to you, is, which is better.
>
> I've seen too many chefs with the means and wherewithall to afford/buy
> the real deal say it's all nonsense. That quality fresh canned
> tomatoes in the US are as good as anything from Italy. I'm certainly
> not paying dbl fer a freakin' canned tomato.

And it's August. Why is anyone thinking about canned tomatoes before the first frost?
>
> nb

--Bryan

"jmcquown" > wrote

>
> IIRC the US (it wasn't the US yet) introduced tomatoes to Italy and hence
> introduced tomatoes to Italian cuisine. I'm thinking Christopher
> Columbus. Might even go as far back as Marco Polo (who introduced pasta to
> Italy from China). I'm sure not buying imported canned tomatoes when I
> can buy the same thing that is grown and canned locally.
>
> Jill

I'm not sure about generic tomatoes, but San Marzano was a gift of the
kingdom of Peru to the kingdom of Naples back in 1770 or so. They have
been the tomato of choice there since. I think Columbus did bring back
others though.

I'll be in Campania in October and I'm going to see if they are much
different there fresh.

On Aug 18, 7:28*pm, Jerry Avins > wrote:

> Cento sells canned Italian plum tomatoes and at a higher price, canned
> San Marzano plum tomatoes. Do your own taste test and see. There's no
> doubt that they are different; whether you prefer that difference is
> naturally a matter of taste. They are grown in the volcanic soil near
> Vesuvius, and are also genetically different.
>
> Jerry
> --
> Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I am with you, I also recommend people should make their own tests and
find out the big differences.

I have made several tests with various brands (side by side tests),
some San Marzano fakes, some real San Marzanos and some regular
tomatoes who didn't claim to be anything else than plain tomatoes.

I found out that the highest price IS NOT the indicator of best
quality!

Basically, the regular tomatoes could not hold up to the standard.
They are good enough if you make a spicy dish like Bucatini or Chilli,
but if you want a delicate pasta sauce, they will disappoint you.

The cans who claimed to be San Marzano were very different from each
other: I bought an expensive one in a Williams Sonoma store (Solania
brand), and I got disappointed. The middle priced Dani Coop (from
Gustiamo, see link in first or second posts) was the strongest winner
so far.

A few days ago I have bought a can of these new "certified" San
Marzano cans from Cento. I will make a test with Dani Coop to see
whether they are equals or not. I had San Marzano from Cento before,
and they were OK, but not as great as Dani. Now they have this new
certication, and I am willing to give them another chance. Let's see
how they will do...

But these tests are a hobby of mine, just for fun. When I have no time
for games, and I need to be sure of the results, I am not playing
around, then I am taking the real ones from Dani Coop.