There are a great number of varieties of tomatoes in the markets here in Italy. Each one has its uses and is available at different times of the year. You’d better know what you’re doing. We’re learning our way.
There is the famous San Marzano, which is used to make ragu and passata. Since you need kilos of these lovely tomatoes to make your sauce, they’re prices relatively cheaply – usually €1/kg – and sold in bulk. They’re meaty with few seeds and produce a sweet sauce.
You’ll also see seemingly perfect vines of small tomatoes. They’re so bright red and uniform that you might think at first that they were manmade. The familiar red Ciliegini (cherry) tomatoes can be seem with their yellow cousins. But you can also find the more desirable Datterini (date) tomatoes; identified by their pointed ends, which carry a significantly sweeter flavor. These are usually sold in baskets or by the kilo and prices can range from €3,80 to €5,50 per kilo.
While many Italians like tomatoes that still show a bit of green on them for salads, I prefer the Piccadilly tomato. It’s a bit bigger than the Datterini, and about half the size of the San Marzano, with an oval shape. It’s juicy and plump and will run you between €2,00 and €3,80 a kilo. These are free of their vines and piled in flats so you can buy them by the piece or kilo.
One of the more unique tomatoes is the Cuore di Bue (heart of ox). These are huge heirloom tomatoes with deep wrinkles. They’re very juicy and also good for salads, but a bit more difficult to clean and cut due to their odd shapes. In some places fruit and vegetable stalls you can find Cuore di Bue as tiny as Piccadilly or bigger than the hearty Beefsteaks you’ll find in the States.
The Ramato (auburn) has recently started appearing at the markets just this week. They are a round, smooth skinned tomato, about 3” in diameter. They’re more on the orange side than red as their name would suggest. They’re also displayed in clusters on the vine. We haven’t tried this tomato variety just, but the season apparently just began, so I think we’ll have some time.