Pizzutello tomato

The pizzutello tomato is typical of Campania, where it is grown in the Vesuvius area, without irrigation: its tasty firm and fleshy pulp, with a particular sweet-sour taste , is suitable for salads or preserves. Oval-shaped and with a pointed apex (in the Campania dialect “pizzuto”, hence the name), the pizzutello tomato is grown in tunnels (with harvest in early June) or in open fields (with harvest in mid-July).

In addition to Campania, it is produced in upper Calabria and lower Lazio. On the market there are hybrid varieties with a similar shape, coming from our South, but also from Spain and Holland, present on the shelves of large retailers all year round. The classic Campania pizzutello , on the other hand, is available only from June to October.

It is also found in the form of preserves (passata di pizzutello) in delicatessen shops. Traditionally the clusters were intertwined and stored in dry and dark environments to dry them, to be then used in the winter for excellent bruschetta or tomato pizzas.