ITALIAN RED GOLD
Our journey through the real Italian flavors is leading us towards lands devoted to the canned tomato production; golden and red fields gently warmed up by the sun that nourishes every single plant, flavoring each fruit or vegetable with its properties. Bottling tomatoes is an art and we will discover and familiarize with its process and delicious products.
Tomatoes are at their best during the last months of summer; they become incredibly delicious in flavour, perfectly ripe and colorful from the sunny days.
Italian tomatoes are considered some of the best in the whole world, thanks to their lands nestled in the perfect climatic habitats. They can be so different from one to the other and have so many special varieties, different in shape and color, from Pachino to San Marzano, from the red “cuore di bue” to the darker tomatoes from Crimea, as well as the yellow green Camone tomatoes.
These incredible fruits do not only look and taste delicious, they also hide extraordinary qualities, and many different nutritional properties, such as potassium, phosphorus, vitamin C and K. They also contain lycopene in high quantities, which is antioxidant and gives them their unique red shade.
Tomatoes are consumed worldwide in different cuisines and cooked in many different ways; they can be eaten raw in salads, squeezed for fresh juice or sauce and can be cooked to be used in stews or used as condiments; there are endless possibilities to savor this versatile ingredient.
The tradition of bottling tomatoes arose, generation after generation, from the gathering of families and friends, handling these delicate red fruits and turning them into something unexpected that would last until the end of the winter. Experience and manual skills were the only “ingredients” needed.
Today, there are more advanced ways of preserving the flavors of the summer into a glass jar. Italy is one of the main exporters of canned tomatoes and tomato sauce in the world.
Innovation and technology make sure not to question the freshness and the quality of the ingredients. An accurate selection is always the most important aspect of the process, leaving only the plumpest and the reddest organic tomatoes to be the eligible ones. Their skin should be so thin that they almost cannot contain all the juice inside them.
Click here to discover more on how to recognize the authentic “Italian red gold” and choose the best products on the market.
When something is well done, from the beginning to the end, you can truly feel the difference and experience the Italian savoir-faire, which makes sure that everything is made with attention and care, leaving the products to speak for themselves.
Photo Credit: © Reneè Kemps