Tomato Paste / Passata

Origin: Ancient Mediterranean and Central American tomato traditions converging into modern industrial form primarily via Italy. Concentrated cooked tomato, ranging from thick tomato paste (long-cooked, intensely concentrated) to passata (strained, uncooked, pourable tomato purée), serving as a near-universal base ingredient across countless global cuisines that adopted tomato after its introduction from the Americas.

Flavor Profile: Deeply savory-umami and tomato-sweet, with paste being far more concentrated and passata lighter and fresher.

Culinary Uses: Base ingredient for sauces across Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian and countless other cuisines.

Regional Variations: Sun-dried tomato paste (more intensely concentrated and slightly caramelized) is a distinct product from standard cooked tomato paste.

Storage: Tomato paste keeps many months unopened and, once opened, can be frozen in small portions; passata keeps similarly once processed and sealed.

Notes: Tomatoes are native to the Americas and were not part of Old World cuisine before the 16th century — striking given how foundational tomato products have since become to Mediterranean, South Asian and other cuisines.