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Old July 17, 2014   #47
brokenbar
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: South Of The Border
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Drew, I grew Sel Velente (It means "talented" by the way) and it is markedly less fluted (so much so that I emailed Franchi thinking they had sent me the wrong seeds which they assured me they had not...) I found the taste and consistency very similar to regular Genovese. The plants were loaded and they were fairly early in my Wyoming garden. Genovese is absolutely one of the oldest cultivated tomatoes and was always grown for sauce. I think way, way back, with no refrigeration, sauce tomatoes were the only option as they could preserve their harvest. In Italy, you can also find evidence that tomato drying was done hundreds of years ago as a way to preserve rather than just because they liked dried tomatoes so much.
This has always been what has led to a logical conclusion, at least for me, that there was a reason particular varieties were grown for sauce and sauce only...they wanted the exact same characteristics that we who want to make sauce want, ie, dry, few seeds, taste that improves with cooking.

And actually, the different "Costolutos" are all very nearly the same (although there is some evidence that some have very different taste even 'tho their appearance is very similar) it is just that they acquired regional names, ie: Genovese (Genoa), Fiorentino (Florence) Parma (Parma). The one I want really bad and can't find is Cantanese which has been grown since the 16th century. (and still cannot figure out the derivative of Cantanese) and there are others " Costoluto di Pachino"(Sicily and almost not fluted)) Costoluto Chivasso (Basso Canavese & Chivassese Po River/Turin) and a couple of others.

I scour the markets whenever we are in Italy and talk with a lot of growers. And all I can say is that whenever I am in the market, whether it be Venice or Florence or Rome or Milan or Naples or Palermo, there are no purple, pink, yellow, black, green or bi-color tomatoes offered for sale...go figure..." "L'italiano č esperto di salsa" (The Italians know about the sauce...)
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