Giada De Laurentiis' Favorite Tomatoes Aren't The Iconic San Marzanos

When you think of canned tomatoes, your mind probably goes straight to San Marzanos, the long, pointy-ended plum tomatoes widely used in Italian cooking around the globe. San Marzanos are a beloved ingredient for many reasons: They're sweet, meaty, and contain fewer seeds than other varieties, making them perfect for slow-cooked sauces and Neapolitan-style pizzas. But for Giada De Laurentiis, there's another tomato that reigns king: Corbarino cherry tomatoes.

The Italian-born chef has been a fan of Corbarino cherry tomatoes her whole life, calling them her "secret ingredient" in a video shared by her food blog, Giadzy, on Facebook. In a separate post on her website, De Laurentiis said these tomatoes yield a sweeter and more vibrant homemade pomodoro sauce, and noted in a description of her own Giadzy-branded canned version that they have more flavor compared to San Marzanos. Both varieties are grown in the rich soils near Mount Vesuvius in the Campania region, but De Laurentiis and her family have always preferred the sweeter taste of Cobarinos.

She told The Kitchn that her parents always had the pantry stocked with the imported cans, and that the first recipe she ever learned to make was a cherry tomato sauce. "They weren't huge San Marzano people. I know people love San Marzano, but that's not what I grew up on. I grew up on the little baby canned cherry tomatoes from the Amalfi Coast," she said.

Corbarino cherry tomatoes hail from a small village called Corbara at the foot of the Latteri Mountains. They're smaller than San Marzanos and have more of a bulb shape. They're also sweeter, less acidic, and more delicate. They aren't as well suited for slow cooking, but they're great for making quick sauces. Corbarinos are also great for classic bruschetta recipes and pizzas, and they pair especially well with seafood because of their growing location.

San Marzano tomatoes, on the other hand, have a very thick flesh, and they work in everything from soups to stews. They're the preferred tomato for pizzas, and the real, authentic versions have Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) status, meaning that growers must comply with strict standards set by an external consortium. San Marzanos are easier to find than Corbarinos, and although they're originally from the nearby town of San Marzano sul Sarno, there are versions grown in the U.S. San Marzano tomatoes grown outside of the DOP's designated region won't have certification though, so you need to check the labels on any cans to make sure you get the real deal.

Both San Marzanos and Corbarinos are delicious and make excellent sauces — and they're the only tomatoes besides Piennolos that are recognized by the Associazione Verace Pizza (Neapolitan Pizza Association). De Laurentiis definitely has a preference, but you'll just have to try both to see for yourself!