In New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles everyone says “I love San Marzano DOP”. This is the name of a promotion program aimed at enhancing the typical Italian tomato cultivar, which is enjoying great success in the United States of America. The promotion activities are co-funded by the European Union and promoted by the Consortium for the Protection of Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino PDO and Anicav – the Italian association of vegetable food preserves industrialists.
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To learn more about the “king of tomatoes” and the places where it is grown and processed, seven American journalists will take part in a special week-long tour between Naples and the Sarnese–Nocerino countryside. The tour will also include meetings with Italian promoters and media, tastings of tomato-based dishes, and a course to learn how to make a pizza topped with San Marzano PDO tomatoes.
Participating in the project presentation in Naples were Tommaso Romano, President, San Marzano PDO tomato protection Consortium, and Giovanni De Angelis, Director, Anicav. The foreign press was represented by: Laura McIntosh, On Ait Talent TV Program, Bringing it Home, PBS Social media, Anthony Michael Contrino, On-Air Talent and Producer, Anthony Contrino Media inc, Sapna Dalal, Food blogger, and web journalist, Vegetarian Tourist, Stacey Ballis, Print and web journalist Food & Wine, Eating Well, Nations Restaurant News, MyRecipes, Southern Living, MSN, Elle Simone Scot, Editor, On-Air Talent and Food blogger America’s Test Kitchen, and Susan Herrmann Loomis, On-Air Talent, Dancing Tomatoes.
“A series of concomitant factors,” Romano explains, “such as the Mediterranean climate, extremely fertile and well-structured soils, and the expertise gained by farmers in the production area over the decades, has contributed to the success of the San Marzano PDO tomato around the world, rewarded in 1996 by the recognition of PDO certification by the European Union”.
Also called “the red gold,” the San Marzano PDO tomato is certainly one of the most well-known and beloved Italian food brands. The Washington Post called it the “Bible of tomatoes,” known and appreciated worldwide for its characteristics which are enhanced by processing it into peeled tomatoes. About 20,000 tons are produced every year. The United States amounts to 80 percent of the total export market. There, sales grew from 3.2 million in 2019 to 4.6 million in 2021.