The charm of Italian cuisine lies in its simplicity. Numerous dishes that consist of only a few ingredients. The tomato sits at the top of the throne and it is impossible to imagine culinary life without it.

Pachino, a village in southeastern Sicily, is particularly proud and holds an annual festival in its honor. And they have good reason: the tomato not only successfully defends itself against pests, even bad press cannot harm it. An Italian journalist once called for a boycott of the Sicilian tomato because he suspected the Mafia of being the trader behind it.

People from Pachino are very proud of two things: Their "pomodori di Pachino" and to be the most southern city in Europe. At least they should be right about the tomatoes!

They include four different varieties: "Ciliegino", the small, round and very long-lived cherry tomato. Somewhat larger and also a delight in green are the "Grappolo". For winter salads, Italians prefer the voluminous, red-green fluted beef tomato "Costoluto" and then there is the characteristically dark green shining variety "Tondo Liscio".

The intensity in color and flavor are their trademark. But how can a product be any other than great when watered with nothing but salt water and pampered by the sun all year long?