Vesuvius Piennolo little tomato

The Piennolo little tomato DOP from Vesuvius is one of the oldest and most appreciated essences of Neapolitan cuisine. It has been part of these lands for centuries and its unmistakable taste has always enjoyed those who try it.

However let's find out more about this piece of history of the Neapolitan culinary tradition.

The history of the Vesuvius Piennolo tomato

The Piennolo del Vesuvio tomato is one of the oldest products of Vesuvian agriculture. According to legend, its bright red colour is due to the volcano, since, growing on volcanic soil, its roots drop into the lava.

The Piennolo little tomato is a product to which the Neapolitans consider very much that they inserted it in many scenes of the cribs of San Gregorio Armeno.

How is the Piennolo tomato grown?

This particular species of little tomato is still worked with ancient techniques. The method consists in creating supports with wooden stakes and iron wires, forming a rigid structure to ensure that the fruit when it blossoms, does not lie on the ground, but still manages to still be kissed by the sun.

The conservation technique also gives rise to the name. In fact, the "piennolo", for the Vesuvian areas, indicates a pendulum and once collected the bunches are tied together with a hemp thread and left hanging and dangling to continue the ripening process.

The taste of the Vesuvius Piennolo tomato

Piennolo tomatoes have an almost spherical shape interrupted by a small point that rises at the lower end, almost as an identifying sign. Unlike the other tomatoes, it has a very hard peel which contains a pulpy concentrate inside.

The taste, like that of other tomatoes, is very sweet but, given the area where it grows rich in underground minerals, the sweetness gives way to a bitter aftertaste.

Piennolo little tomato in Neapolitan cuisine

Over the centuries this type of cherry tomato has become an essential ingredient of many typical Neapolitan dishes. Almost all the dishes produced in Naples are seasoned with a little cherry tomato to give that acidulous aftertaste that intensifies the recipes, but the exaltation of this type of cherry tomato occurs with pasta and especially pizza.

You can't help but try this inimitable taste. Naples is a magnificent place to taste these flavours that it is difficult to taste in other cities, and right here, a few kilometres from the city of Partenope, there is a place where you can taste these unique flavours: Fratelli Prisco - Pizza e Spirits. A pizzeria in Boscotrecase directed by the passion of two brothers for the art of cooking and drinking, which prepares different recipes and dishes seasoned with the famous Piennolo cherry tomato from Vesuvius. In this pizzeria you can taste different recipes seasoned with the famous Piennolo cherry tomato from Vesuvius and accompany them with wines and cocktails of any kind or choose one of the various seasonal tasting itineraries with recipes best mixed between pizza and drinks chosen by the wise art of the two Prisco brothers. For example there are the tasting itineraries with pizzas seasoned with different local ingredients such as the typical cherry tomatoes from San Marzano to the date and accompanied by drinks such as saffron margarita and American peat, a mixture based on vermouth and campari.

Do not delay it yet, come to Naples to enjoy the pleasure of Neapolitan cuisine.