ABOUT LEGACY
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Award-winning author Flavel Monteiro and Flavors of My World (co-author) Doug Singer, have teamed up to bring you a one-of-a-kind cookbook. Legacy features 26 world-class chefs from 10 different countries, who have all come together to celebrate the famed San Marzano Tomato.
This book takes a deep dive into the history of this illustrious tomato and the celebrated Suppa family, whose roots in the Campania region go back to the Roman Empire and whose sauce recipes can be traced back to 1571. Using “Silvio’s Sauces” as their muse, this exciting group of top-tier chefs deliver a broad selection of recipes that incorporate this little known brand (but considered by many as “the world’s best) of San Marzano based sauces into their recipes. |
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ABOUT SAN MARZANO TOMATOES
Unfortunately, what many of us grew up with, and still primarily eat, are the industrialized tomatoes that are available at our local supermarkets. Although sufficiently edible, anyone who has ever joyfully indulged in a taste of a Cherokee Purple, a Lucky Cross or any of a wide variety of heirloom tomatoes— has most certainly been forever changed. In Italy, the most famous variety (or cultivar) is the San Marzano. Ask just about anyone of Italian origin, and they’ll quite passionately tell you that this tomato is nothing less than God’s culinary gift to the world.
San Marzano is the name associated with a breed of Italian plum tomatoes of legendary quality. These characteristically thin, pointy, sweet plum tomatoes are the namesake of one of the towns in which they are grown—San Marzano sul Sarno. Primarily produced in the Sarno River valley, this area south of Naples is widely known for its rich volcanic soil courtesy of nearby Mount Vesuvius. The results are a sweeter, stronger tasting flesh with low acidity. The signature thick skin makes it easy to remove, and its meatier center is more robust than other Roma and plum tomatoes.
Additionally, San Marzano’s require proper irrigation. The high water table of this area delivers just that from the presence of numerous springs, as well as its Mediterranean microclimate which is temperate with high humidity. It is this unique combination of natural elements that come together to create San Marzano’s unique and legendary characteristics.
Most commonly grown on small plots of land, they are the tomato of choice by many top chefs around the world. With a harvest that begins in August and continues until the end of September, these red jewels are notably picked by hand. The removal from the vine usually happens in the evenings when the sun is setting, by‘contadini’—a well-seasoned, older generation of Italian farmers.
Similar to true Champagne having to be from grapes grown in France’s Champagne region, San Marzano is a D.O.P. (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta). What this means is that only tomatoes grown here can genuinely be called San Marzano. In the European Union, tomatoes can only be labeled as San Marzano if they meet the stringent criteria of the government to prove consortium or consorzio. Everything from the distance between the plants to the breeding of the seeds is regulated. The Italian police regularly confiscate mislabeled tomatoes. In 2010 alone, they seized more than 1000 tons of falsely labeled San Marzano tomatoes destined for the United States.
How to identify San Marzano tomatoes:
Commercially introduced in 1926, San Marzano tomatoes’ strict set of rules and guidelines must be followed from harvesting to packing, ensuring consistency and superior quality. Some of these rules and guidelines include:
Official D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes are only sold in cans, peeled whole or cut in half. If your tomatoes come in a jar, are chopped, diced or pureed they are not the real thing. To assure that you’re getting authentic San Marzano tomatoes, carefully inspect the can and make sure that it says ‘Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese Nocerino D.O.P.’ and has a consorzio number and a consorzio symbol. These extra steps to assure authenticity will show up in the final product in a truly meaningful way.
San Marzano is the name associated with a breed of Italian plum tomatoes of legendary quality. These characteristically thin, pointy, sweet plum tomatoes are the namesake of one of the towns in which they are grown—San Marzano sul Sarno. Primarily produced in the Sarno River valley, this area south of Naples is widely known for its rich volcanic soil courtesy of nearby Mount Vesuvius. The results are a sweeter, stronger tasting flesh with low acidity. The signature thick skin makes it easy to remove, and its meatier center is more robust than other Roma and plum tomatoes.
Additionally, San Marzano’s require proper irrigation. The high water table of this area delivers just that from the presence of numerous springs, as well as its Mediterranean microclimate which is temperate with high humidity. It is this unique combination of natural elements that come together to create San Marzano’s unique and legendary characteristics.
Most commonly grown on small plots of land, they are the tomato of choice by many top chefs around the world. With a harvest that begins in August and continues until the end of September, these red jewels are notably picked by hand. The removal from the vine usually happens in the evenings when the sun is setting, by‘contadini’—a well-seasoned, older generation of Italian farmers.
Similar to true Champagne having to be from grapes grown in France’s Champagne region, San Marzano is a D.O.P. (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta). What this means is that only tomatoes grown here can genuinely be called San Marzano. In the European Union, tomatoes can only be labeled as San Marzano if they meet the stringent criteria of the government to prove consortium or consorzio. Everything from the distance between the plants to the breeding of the seeds is regulated. The Italian police regularly confiscate mislabeled tomatoes. In 2010 alone, they seized more than 1000 tons of falsely labeled San Marzano tomatoes destined for the United States.
How to identify San Marzano tomatoes:
Commercially introduced in 1926, San Marzano tomatoes’ strict set of rules and guidelines must be followed from harvesting to packing, ensuring consistency and superior quality. Some of these rules and guidelines include:
- The species of tomato seeds that can be used
- The area in Italy where the tomatoes are grown
- The size, shape and color once harvested
- The harvesting process
- The peeling process
- The packing process
Official D.O.P. San Marzano tomatoes are only sold in cans, peeled whole or cut in half. If your tomatoes come in a jar, are chopped, diced or pureed they are not the real thing. To assure that you’re getting authentic San Marzano tomatoes, carefully inspect the can and make sure that it says ‘Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese Nocerino D.O.P.’ and has a consorzio number and a consorzio symbol. These extra steps to assure authenticity will show up in the final product in a truly meaningful way.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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Doug Singer’s prolific career includes being a co-author of Flavors of My World, a luxury lifestyle writer for Jetset Magazine, a business consultant, and a founding partner of Singer New York Real Estate. His body of work includes co-hosting a food-related radio show, representing segments of the culinary world as an on-camera spokesman for interviews with Sony TV and FOX News, and being an emcee for a wide array of public events. His philanthropic endeavors are of paramount importance to him and include being a founding board member of the Winners Circle Project (an organization designed to ignite the passion of high school students through a STEAM program connected to the world of car racing), as well as a Board of Trustees member for the NYC Peace Museum.
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Flavel Monteiro has been in the hospitality and F & B industry since 1991. His foray into publishing came when he purchased a franchise to publish Millionaire Magazine in Scandinavia, as well as a Filipino magazine in the Middle East. It was in 2014 when Flavel launched WG Magazine, designed to promote the top culinary experiences around the world. Then in 2018, he partnered with Chef Alfredo Russo from Turin, Italy to launch EX.IT—Extraordinary Italian. Most recently, Flavel was the recipient of the Independent Publishers Award for his book Coffee - Absolute Gastronomy. Closest to his heart, three years ago, he started a foundation that helps 36 underprivileged children each year in the Philippines to attend culinary school through a scholarship program.
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