L'Italo-Americano

LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS DESIGN www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022 L'Italo-Americano T omatoes: they c o m e i n a l l shapes and sizes, their color mov- i n g f r o m t h e deepest, brightest red to a golden green, all the way to hues that reach the depth of purples. They can also be yel- low, bright, and full of light, just like the sunshine they need to grow flavorful and juicy. T h e h u m b l e , d e l i c i o u s tomato is the stuff of culinary poetry, but also of that made of words if you think that one of the greatest wordsmiths of contemporary world litera- ture Pablo Neruda, wrote a n o d e t o i t : t h e t o m a t o " I n v a d e s t h e k i t c h e n , / i t enters at lunchtime,/takes its e a s e / o n c o u n t e r t o p s , / among glasses,/butter dish- e s , / b l u e s a l t c e l l a r s . / I t sheds/ its own light,/benign majesty." Sure, the meaning of Neruda's poem runs deep- er than the simple – albeit deliciously appealing – cele- b r a t i o n o f the pomodoro, "the golden apple" as we call them, liter- ally, in Italian but we'll leave the social and political dis- c u s s i o n t o a n o t h e r d a y . Instead, we'll focus on how profoundly they are connect- ed to our culture, our food, and also our economy. Because the connection is there and it runs deep: there i s n ' t a c o r n e r o f I t a l y , whether you are in the gentle hills of Piedmont's Langhe or the colorful alleys of lively Palermo, where tomatoes are not grown and consumed in great quantities, a key ingre- dient for recipes of all kinds, from simple salads, to lus- cious sauces and stews. Let's face it, tomatoes are almost a synonym with Italian cuisine, yet, they are not "ours" to begin with, they come in fact from the New World, some- t h i n g – I a m s u r e – y o u already know. The Solanum Racemigerum, that's wild tomatoes for science, are n a t i v e o f w e s t e r n S o u t h America, but their cultivation is linked to the Maya, who b r o u g h t t h e m t o C e n t r a l America, and the Aztecs. C o n q u i s t a d o r H e r n a n Cortes, sometimes between the late 1510s and the early 1520s, became acquainted w i t h t h e m a n d , p r o b a b l y a r o u n d t h e s a m e p e r i o d , Spanish missionaries return- ing from South America to Europe began bringing toma- to seeds back home to Spain. H e r e , t h e y w e r e c a l l e d t o m a t e – f r o m t h e Aztec tomatl - with the word being first attested in written form in 1532. But those early tomatoes were not as good as ours, so much so they were c o n s i d e r e d p o i s o n o u s b y some: mind, they never killed anyone, but probably they had a higher content of sola- nine - a glycoalkaloid sub- stance found in some species of the nightshade family - t h a n t o d a y , w h i c h m a d e them hard on unaccustomed European stomachs. Because Italy and Spain had a very close relationship, tomatoes soon arrived here, too. According to the Museo del Pomodoro, the first "official" mention of them dates 31st of October 1548, w h e n C o s i m o d e ' M e d i c i received a basket of tomatoes grown on his farm in Torre del Gallo, near Florence. But it seems that the first regions they reached were Sicily and S a r d i n i a f r o m w h e r e , t h r o u g h c o m m e r c e , t h e y a r r i v e d i n G e n o a a n d t h e North. However, not every- one was fond of the golden apple from South America, and it took a while before we s t a r t e d u s i n g i t i n t h e kitchen: the earliest recipes date to the 18th century, but its ubiquitous diffusion as an ingredient happened only in the 1800s. Today, we can count more than 5000 varieties of toma- toes, which differ from one another in size, shape, flavor, and color. In Italy, as you'd expect, we have some of the best, with some more famous than others. For instance, w h o i s n ' t f a m i l i a r w i t h p o m o d o r i d i S a n Marzano (Salerno, Avellino, Vesuvius areas of Campania) – full name San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese Nocerino - the oblong, deep red fruit predilected for sauces and salads across the country? Protected by a DOP denomi- n a t i o n s i n c e 1 9 9 6 , S a n M a r z a n o t o m a t o e s w e n t through some drama in the past 30 years, because the original species was entirely wiped out in 1991 by an ill- ness. Since then, officially, there are two types of San Marzano (those protected by t h e D O P d e n o m i n a t i o n ) , both of which share a good chunk of their genetic outline with the original: the San Marzano 2, and Kiros. If you came across those l i t t l e t o m a t o e s g a t h e r e d t o g e t h e r a s i f i n a l a r g e , grape-like bunch, then you know what the pomodori- n o d e l P i e n n o l o d e l Vesuvio looks like. Like San Marzanos, they are protected b y a D O P d e n o m i n a t i o n (2009), and they are – as you may have guessed from their name – also from Campania. They are very tasty and have a special characteristic: their thicker skin makes them last longer, reason for which they were once considered "winter t o m a t o e s : " i n d e e d , w h e n properly stored, they can last well into the colder months of the year. If we move to Sicily, we'll m e e t t h e c i l i e g i n o d i P a c h i n o . Y o u d e f i n i t e l y know them, because they are the original cherry tomato! Contrarily to other, older varieties, sweet ciliegino, which is grown in Pachino a n d i t s s u r r o u n d i n g s (Siracusa), was brought to Italy from Israel only in 1989. Since then, the pomodori di P a c h i n o g a i n e d a n I G P denomination and conquered t h e h e a r t o f t h e c o u n t r y . P a c h i n o i s a l s o h o m e t o another variety of tomatoes, one that may not be as well known as the one we've just seen, the Marinda, which are very recognizable thanks to their colors: where San M a r z a n o , P a c h i n o , a n d P i e n n o l o d e l V e s u v i o a r e unashamedly red, Marinda t o m a t o e s a r e d e e p d a r k o r a n g e , w i t h d a r k g r e e n jewel-like overlaying hues. Marinda belongs to the mar- made tomato types, which come from France, but found a comfortable second home in Sicily. It is a costoluto, which means it isn't smooth all over like its cousins from Campania and the ciliegino, but rather "segmented" or, indeed, "costoluto." What makes it special is also the fact that, unlikely most toma- toes, it is in season during the winter and the spring, from January to May. Similar in colors - deep red and deep green – but s m o o t h a n d s m a l l i s S a r d i n i a ' s o w n t o m a t o , t h e C a m o n e . P o m o d o r i Camone, just like ciliegino, to which they resemble in size and shape, have been intro- duced only at the end of the 1 9 8 0 s . B e c a u s e o f t h e i r crunchiness, they are usually eaten raw in salads. Last but not least – espe- cially for me, because they a r e m y f a v o r i t e – a r e t h e l a r g e , f l e s h y , a n d delicious pomodori cuore di bue (called so because of their size and irregular, often heart-like shape), a variety common especially in the North (Piedmont, Liguria a n d T u s c a n y ) a n d o n t h e islands. Its name translates as "beef heart," so you defi- nitely know the cuore di bue, because that's exactly how it's called in English. Cuore di bue are absolutely glorious in salads, they are perfect for sliced Caprese, the one you make by placing a slice of mozzarella on top of a slice of tomato, and they are deli- cious just like that, raw, with a pinch of salt. Biting into them is one of the simplest, but most satisfying pleasures. Cuore di bue is also very good for sauces, especially when it's riper. FRANCESCA BEZZONE The red gold of Italian tables, tomatoes Red, fresh and juicy: that's Pachino tomatoes! (Photo: Angelo Cordeschi/Dreamstime)

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