Everyday Differences in Puglia: Pomodori Al Filo

Puglia Differences: an occasional series on things that strike this Brit as so very Italian. 

The pomodori al filo (tomatoes on the string) also called pomodori eterni (everlasting tomatoes) are a Salento method of preserving tomato as an alternative to sun-dried tomatoes or passata (see Everyday differences in Puglia: Tomato Bottling). In this method bunches of tomatoes are braided on strings of twine to be hung in cool, dry places. These are usually local varieties such as the Giallo d'Inverno tomato or the Regina tomato, which lend themselves to preservation. This practice allows you to have tomatoes available throughout the winter.

I first learnt about the pomodori al filo from our friend Mino the chef when he appeared on Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes (2007). 

In that segment he cooked the traditional orecchietti con cime di rape but his version of the recipe included these pomodori al filo. These are available in a number of the shops around us so we can replicate Mino‘s version.