I recently started making my own tomato sauce for spaghetti. I came across a terrific tomato sauce recipe from Harvest Eating (which, by the way, is a terrific site).
In the video recipe, chef Keith Snow says to use only San Marzano tomatoes or you’re wasting your time. I was able to find a can of tomatoes labeled as San Marzano (see photo), but without the European seal that ensures that they really are San Marzano tomatoes. I later discovered that they are a domestic version of the same species of tomatoes, but grown in the US. San Marzano or not, they made a wonderful sauce.
The next time I made this sauce I thought I would try Roma tomatoes from one of my favorite brands, Eden Organic. Wow! What a difference. The Eden tomatoes were nearly tasteless compared to the “San Marzano” tomatoes. I can only wonder what true San Marzano’s taste like.
I had no idea canned tomatoes could be so different from one another.
UPDATE (2/24/2007): I found some San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy with the correct seal on them. They were good, but I don’t think they were significantly better than the domestic ones I tried. Since the domestic ones are conveniently located at my grocery store, I will continue using them.
I recently tried the San Marzano tomatoes in my marinara sauce recipie and it did taste better. Mine were imported from Italy and came in a #10 can so I froze what I didn’t need.