Costoluto Fiorentino

Costoluto Fiorentino is one of the old Florentine tomatoes — deeply ribbed and lobed, flattened rather than round, each one a slightly different irregular shape. The name comes from costola, meaning rib, and that heavy fluting is the whole point: sliced across, the fruit falls into scalloped, almost flower-shaped sections. It is dense and fleshy inside, with relatively little seed and water for its size, and a flavour that is properly savoury — sweet, but with the acidity and depth that thinner modern tomatoes tend to lack. That structure is what makes it so useful in the kitchen. Raw, the thick walls hold their shape in a salad and stand up to good oil and salt without collapsing. Cooked, they break down into a sauce with real body and concentration, which is why this tomato has been grown around Florence for sugo and passata for generations. Origin: Italy Storage: Keep at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Do not refrigerate — cold flattens both flavour and texture. Net: 500g