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Gustarosso - Whole San Marzano Tomatoes - 400 g
Regular price $8.00 USDRegular price
About Gustarosso
- Based in
- Sarno, Campania, Italy
- Known for
- San Marzano DOP whole peeled tomatoes
Gustarosso is the label of Danicoop, a cooperative in Sarno, in the province of Salerno. The Ruggiero family of Sarno has grown San Marzano DOP tomatoes since 1910, and the cooperative now counts 60 members farming about 200 hectares in the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino. Danicoop handles growing and marketing, with processing done under contract.
The plants grow on vertical supports, a centuries-old method that takes many hours of hand labor. The DOP designation applies only to whole peeled tomatoes of the San Marzano ecotype.
The brand grew out of a wish to revive fare le butteglie, the old custom of putting up tomatoes in the Sarno countryside between August and September. Crush whole peeled tomatoes by hand for a quick marinara or a pizza sauce.
Gustarosso questions
What does DOP mean on a can of San Marzano tomatoes?
DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) is a European Union label that requires every stage of production to happen in one defined area. For San Marzano tomatoes that area is the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino near Naples, and the label covers only whole peeled tomatoes of the San Marzano type. These tomatoes are long and pointed, with thick flesh, few seeds and a sweeter, less acidic taste than the Roma. Gustarosso comes from Danicoop, a cooperative of San Marzano DOP growers in Sarno.
How are Gustarosso San Marzano tomatoes grown?
San Marzano plants are tall vines that keep growing and fruiting through the season, reaching about 6 feet, so growers around Sarno train them upward on vertical supports, a method used there for centuries. Holding the plants off the ground lets in more air and sun and keeps them away from the soil, where many plant diseases and insects start. The method takes many hours of hand work, which raises the cost of growing them.
