Tomato Passata, Sauce and Paste. Do you really know the difference?

We can find tomatoes in our diet under various forms, such as tomato purée, tomato pulp, tomato passata, sauce and paste. But are you sure to know the difference between tomato passata, sauce and paste?

What's inside these products beside tomatoes? And more important, what Italian law says about it?

Here the difference between the five most popular tomato products: peeled tomatoes, tomato pulp, tomato passata, sauce and paste. Product description, label and suggestions.

What is Tomato Passata?

Tomato Passata is translated from the Italian "passata di pomodoro". Passata is an Italian word. It comes from the Italian verb passare, which means to go through. This is because tomato passata is obtained through a mechanical process. The tomatoes pass through the blades and holes of the machine used to make passata. Tomato passata is sometimes referred to as tomato puree and vice versa.

Tomato passata is the product that is obtained directly from fresh tomatoes that have ripened. The red fruit is peeled and the seeds are removed. This can be done by hand or with a tomato strainer or a simple food mill. Tomatoes are crushed to obtain a red sauce. Tomato passata can be rustic or silky, depending on its consistency.

You can use tomato passata to make pizza, or just add it in many pasta sauces, such as sugo all'amatriciana, penne alla vodka, or lasagna for example. Do you want to make tomato passata by yourself? READ the authentic Italian Tomato Passata Recipe

Tomato sauce (or Pasta Sauce)

The list of ingredients you can find in a tomato sauce is more or less long, depending on the type of sauce. Tomato sauce can contain tomato passata or pulp and paste, in addition to oil and salt. Known as pasta sauce, sometimes you can find celery and onion as well. In fact it's enough to put the sauce into a saucepan, reheat and season your pasta. Among these, there are tomato sauces with meat or vegetables.

Do you want to know how to make a basic tomato sauce? READ Tomato Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is a product based on tomato extract. Tomatoes, through industrial processing plants and after careful cleaning to be deprived of excess water, are crushed and preheated to high temperatures ranging from 85°C to 100°C (185°F to 212°F).

Inside the evaporator, tomatoes go through different stages: its concentration level is gradually increased to reach the required density. The result is tomato paste or double tomato paste.

In the first case, by Italian law, the degree of concentration must be in a range that varies between 18% and 28%, while for the double one the consistency must reach a level between 28% and 30%. So that you have an idea: 5-6 kg of tomatoes are necessary for 1 kg of tomato paste.

Tomato paste is the perfect ingredient to add extra color and flavor to recipes that require long cooking times such as meat sauce, soups and stews.

Peeled Tomatoes

Peeled tomatoesare made with fresh, healthy, riped tomatoes. They are whole tomatoes; once blanched then it's necessary to peel them.

Easy to make by yourself, you can find them on the market in glass jars or aluminum cans. In most cases Italian law allowes the addition of a little of tomato juice, water and an acidity regulator (citric acid) and it gives the possibility to add salt.

Alongside traditional peeled tomatoes, made with long tomatoes, plum type (San Marzano), there is a variant made with cherry tomatoes. They are not peeled, as explained on the label. On the packaging it is not necessary to write the origin of the tomatoes.

Tomato Pulp (or Chopped Tomato)

The preparation of tomato pulp is the same as peeled tomatoes, but unlike them, tomatoes are chopped and the seeds are taken off. Also in this case, it's not necessary to write the origin of the tomatoes on the label.