Pachino Tomatoes: The Pride of Sicily
Photo Credit: Pachino by federico.ricci used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
By Michelle Fabio
If you’re looking for some of the sweetest, firmest, shiniest tomatoes with a long shelf life to boot, you need the small, red, juicy variety from Pachino, Sicily.
Pachino tomatoes are rightfully famous, especially in Italy and Europe, and so treasured that a few years ago in their home country they were granted IGP status–a designation similar to the D.O.C. designation for wines, in this case certifying that at least part of the production of a product is in a particular area.
For the pomodori di Pachino, this area is in the province of Siracusa on the island of Sicily known for its year-round mild weather, few frosts in the winter and spring, long glorious days of sunshine, rich soil, and just the right amount of salinity in its irrigation water–or, in other words, perfect tomato growing conditions.
The Pachino was first cultivated in 1925 but didn’t become popular until the 1970s; since then, it has been the tomato of choice for cold pasta dishes and salads, and is even used on pizza. In fact, if you do an Internet search for recipes using fresh tomatoes, particularly in Italian, you’ll find many that specifically call for the Pachino.
And from personal experience I can tell you–the reports are not exaggerated.
October 7th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Where can we purchase pachino tomato seeds?
March 27th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
I too would like to buy seeds.
June 22nd, 2010 at 7:41 pm
I was introduce to the pachino tomato back in 1998 when I visited Rome with father. They are the best tomato I have ever tasted when creating a maranara sauce. I would love to buy some seeds. Please let me know
Thank you