Once a fixture in every home, today a custom that is making a comeback thanks to the passion for good food and a return to homemade production: the preparation of tomato puree or tomato paste is a tradition shared throughout the Italian peninsula. But among the savoury preserves in the pantry, there are also ready-to-serve pesto to flavour pasta dishes, timbales and other courses.

Silky and velvety texture, sweet and sour flavours, garden scents and summer memories: tomato puree is an essential product in Italian cuisine, irreplaceable for meat-based and full-bodied sauces, but also for fish recipes, soups and, of course, pizza. It is a more or less dense sauce, made from different varieties of tomatoes (for more information: The best tomatoes for pureeing), cooked and pureed until creamy, often garnished with some fresh basil leaves.