It's come to my attention that there's some 🍅tomato confusion🍅 out there

Specifically my people's most famous tomato: #SanMarzano🇮🇹

These aren't San Marzanos. Neither are most of the canned tomatoes you're buying, even if they say it right on the front in rustic lettering! 1/
Take for example these two cans of "San Marzano" tomatoes

They're both from Italy, they both say San Marzano 🤔2/
Turn the cans around to read closer, as you might in the store, bc you're a shrewd foodie (shrewdie? no)

Compare & contrast:
Now one of the most important things about our delicious tomato friends is that they're from Italy... But not just any old place in Italy!

San Marzanos MUST come from a specific region of Italy: Sarnese Nocerino in Campania 4/
You'll see both cans check out! ✅ Correct region, with the can on the right even claiming they're certified by an "independent third-party agency"

Now anyone who works in politics should immediately be suspicious of independent third-party groups ❎
I particularly like how the Cento can provides a helpful map & several official looking logos 🤔👀

This seal caught my eye: 6/
It might look familiar to folks who eat a lot of Italian speciality food & have seen this: 7/
You see, my people are so serious about their food that they set up an entire governmental body designed to indicate when an Italian food product is authentic: Denominazione d' Origine Protetta, or Protected Designation of Origin

We're fancy like that 💅🇮🇹

8/
This is a lot like France's champagne designation but I'll pause here to emphasize this is NOT how Kentucky #bourbon works! 🥃

I've seen people compare the 2. Stop. Bourbon doesn't have to come from Bourbon County, or even from KY

But that's another thread... 9/
So back to these two cans. By now it should be clear that Cento is trying to pull a fast one 🙅‍♀️

But the one on the left has the single thing that guarantees it's authentic: the DOP serial number! 10/
It also has the DOP seal that the Cento can was trying to imitate

AND a super special San Marzano seal just for the best tomatoes in the world

We really are *extra*

(Should I get this as a tattoo?!) 11/
Obviously I'm not the first to crack this tomato caper (this pun is for @fac_fred)

In fact, so many people are rightfully aggrieved by the Cento impostor, they're suing: 12/ https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/cento-tomatoes-lawsuit-claims-real-san-marzano-tomatoes-arent-real-thing/
Cento's San Marzano tomatoes aren't the real thing, lawsuits allege

Lawsuits claim Cento's famed San Marzano tomatoes aren't true San Marzanos grown at the base of Italy's Mount Vesuvius

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/cento-tomatoes-lawsuit-claims-real-san-marzano-tomatoes-arent-real-thing/
Takeaways!

It's possible to do a 13-tweet thread about 🍅tomatoes 🍅

Despite Italy's absolutely ridiculous dedication to protecting their food at all costs, 95% of San Marzano tomatoes are counterfeit

Real San Marzanos are amazing & it's worth taking the time to find them! 🙏
You can follow @BethMatuga.
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