Plum Tomatoes

It is a common fact that tomatoes are widely used for culinary purposes. You can find tomatoes as an indispensable ingredient in a whole lot of recipes from the regional cuisines across the globe. The origin of tomatoes has been traced back to 700 AD, when the Aztecs used to cultivate this vegetable (which is botanically a fruit). Today, we have around 10,000 tomato varieties and plum tomatoes are one among them.

What are Plum Tomatoes

Tomatoes are available in many different types that differ in size, shape, color, texture, flavor, etc. Plum tomato is a type of tomato, which has a more meaty flesh. These tomatoes are less juicy and have a few seed compartments, as compared to regular varieties. These tomatoes come in red and yellow colors with an oval or cylindrical shape. One of the popular plum tomato variety is 'Roma', which is an Italian version that is mainly used for canning and making sauce. In fact, plum tomatoes are said to be bred for these purposes. As these tomatoes are more fleshy, they are ideal for canning. The flavorful flesh of these tomatoes is perfect for preparing sauces. Being less juicy, these tomatoes are also commonly used for drying and for making tomato paste. Another advantage of plum tomatoes is that they are also easy to handle and are less prone to bruising that may occur while packing. Another popular plum tomato variety is grape tomato, which is smaller in size, but, have an intense flavor. These tomatoes are also perfect for raw use, as in salads, sandwiches, etc.

Plum Tomato Sauce

In order to prepare this sauce, you need the following ingredients.

• Fresh plum tomatoes - 2 pounds
• Garlic cloves - 4
• Medium-sized onion - 1
• Extra virgin olive oil - 4 ounces
• Crushed red pepper - 1 to 2 pinches
• Kosher salt - as per requirement

How to Prepare

Wash and peel the tomatoes, before boiling them in water for two minutes. After that, remove the tomatoes and put them in cold water. After a minute, remove and dice the tomatoes and keep them aside. Take a saucepan and heat olive oil in it, over medium heat. Add chopped garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. As the garlic turns golden in color, put finely chopped onion and cook for around three to four minutes. Stir occasionally, so as to prevent the contents from burning. The next step is to add the diced tomatoes into the pan and cook for another five to ten minutes. Add salt for taste. You may also add chopped parsley leaves for garnishing. This is one of the easy methods of preparing plum tomato sauce.

Now, you have a fair understanding about plum tomatoes and their uses. Even though, these tomatoes are available throughout the year, you will get the best-flavored ones during summer. It is better to avoid refrigerating these tomatoes, so as to retain their flavor. You may also try growing these tomatoes at home. If interested, you may contact the local nursery for plum tomato seeds or seedlings.