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The fertile soils dedicated to horticulture and located principally around Naples and in the “agro sarnese-nocerino” in the province of Salerno, used to be cultivated till 20 years ago only with San Marzano tomatoes. Nowadays, it is here that the “Antichi Pomodorini di Napoli” are cultivated: an extremely delicate variety, with a thin peel, which preserves the taste for a long time also after conservation, but they must be carefully managed. Because of the spreading of certain diseases and their scarce competitiveness regarding the costs of cultivation, more productive commercial hybrids were spread, which were able to resist to some diseases and suitable to automation, but with inferior quality and organoleptic characteristics.
Canning factories producing “pelati” started to buy hybrids elsewhere, since they were more suitable to machine manufacturing and because of this the native variety risked exhtintion.
The collection of these tomatoes takes place from July to September and the manufacturing process includes that they are collected only when they are ripe and the sun has set, then they are washed and put in cans in order to cook them for 13 minutes. There are no additives and preservatives. They will remain in good conservation-conditions for at least a year.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)