Secret Ingredient - San Marzano Tomatoes

Why use San Marzano Tomatoes?

Well, the short answer is you don't have to, but if you wish to get anywhere near the authentic Neapolitan Pizza of Naples then these are the ones to use.

They are Italy's most important plum tomato with low acidity, fewer seeds and a sweet taste.

In fact these are the only tomatoes allowed by the AVPN, the Association Verace Pizza Napoletana on a Neapolitan pizza. This organisation protects the authenticity of the Neapolitan pizza and rules the use of ingredients with an iron fist.

Pizza dough has only 4 ingredients; flour, water, yeast and salt.
Flour must be '00' Italian flour.
Tomatoes must be San Marzano, harvested from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.
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Cheese must be either Buffalo or cows milk fresh mozzarella with a little Parmesan to enhance the flavour.

They also insist that the pizza dough must rise for minimum of about 8 hours, and be cooked in a traditional wood-fired oven at a temperature of 485℃.  
Oh yes, and be cooked by a trained and registered Pizzaiolo Verace (True Pizza Maker).
Crikey!

But for us mere mortals, the use of the widely available San Marzano tomato will at least make us feel a little more authentic.

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