Lost Flavours

The original name for tomatoes in Italy was 'Pomidori' or 'Golden Apples'. Italian tomatoes are considered to be some of the best in the world, especially plum varieties which are ideal for cooking and for making passata, rich velvety sieved tomato pulp (not liquidised tomatoes!!) and toms are just so versatile, enhancing so many dishes in so many ways from a simple salad to a pizza or pasta sauce.

There are essentially 2 types of tom - Indeterminate (cordon) and determinate (bush). The former needs to have it's 45 degree side shoots removed and the top shoot too, and the bush variety doesn't. There are more cordon varieties than bush, and the bush ones tend to be the smaller varieties, especially cherries.

The rules for growing a tomato are pretty much the same, whatever the variety. Always start tomatoes in pots or trays protected from the frost from January to the end of May. They'll grow practically in any soil, but prefer a rich, previously manured area if possible. You can of course grow tomatoes in grow bags which is great for a small garden or even a flat on the balcony. Remember though that grow bags can dry out quickly so keep them well watered. They do come with plant food in the soil, but this is used up quickly, so feed your tomatoes in the summer after they have developed 2 trusses (2 sets of leaves) with a tomato feed. If growing in a grow bag out in the garden, make a few cuts in the bottom of the bag so the roots can travel into the soil. Another benefit of grow bags is that the soil is sterile, so if you have had problems with tomato blight or diseases in the soil, then use a grow bag until your soil has been neutralised.

Puglian Salad Tomato Principe Borghese

This is the variety you get when you buy sundried tomatoes. Fruits of 90-100g which are larger than a cherry tomato and smaller than a salad tom, about the size and shape of an egg. Indeterminate (cordon) and a good cropper on the vine, it can be grown either inside or out. Ideal for cutting in half for a salad or for drying. Prince Borghese was an Italian prince who met a rather sticky end and was hung. What you can do is hang the whole plant, roots removed, somewhere cool dark and airy (garage, shed, barn etc) and pull the fruits till almost Christmas.

Endangered Neapolitan Plum Tomato San Marzano 2

The original SM tomatoes were grown by hand, picked by hand and harvested by hand and were delicate physically and in flavour. Nowadays, tougher varieties are used which are not as tasty, but which can be harvested by machine! Featured in Stanley Tucci’s series Searching for Italy on the BBC, they are dry, meaty, have thin skin and very few seeds, that makes them one of the best cooking tomatoes in the world, if not the best. Indeterminate with fruits of 70-80g which can be grown outside. Suitable for freezing whole, cutting raw for pizza toppings, for making tomato sauces, soups, passata and for all dishes using cooked tomatoes.

Cuor di Bue Tomato Liguria

Cuor di Bue (ox heart) tomatoes come from Liguria but are also native to France as borders stop people, not plants. They are often served with the 2 other ingredients of Liguria, olive oil and basil – there are no accidents in Italian food. Cut them in half and they are pure meat, no pockets of water or seeds and low in acidity. Some are heart shaped and some just knobbly. Heirloom variety so…. Indeterminate

Passata

In Italy, plum tomatoes are grown almost exclusively for making passata for the whole year. It's then stored in sterilised jars and used for pasta sauce, pizza's etc. My aunty will grow 100 plants, then all the neighbours will come around to preserve them in bottles, much like the WI used to do during the war. Ingredients:

Tomato 'San Marzano', Ligurian Basil, Salt, a dash of Italian extra virgin olive oil.

Either dip the tomatoes in boiling water to make removing the skin easier. Once peeled, push them through a sieve so that there are no seeds in the passata. Most houses in Italy own a small passata machine which you can purchase in the UK from Seeds of Italy which will separate the pulp from the skin and the seeds. Add a pinch of salt to taste and place in sterilised jars in a large pan with cold water. Put a tea towel in between the jars and cover, simmering for 20 mins and leave the jars in the water overnight or until the water is cool. This will kill bacteria in the jars and means you can store your passata somewhere cool dark and airy and they will last the whole winter.

Paolo Arrigo