Datterini Tomatoes

Imagine turning the flavor on a cherry tomato up to 11, and you’re close to the astonishing intensity of these unpeeled datterini in water from Masseria Dauna. The name means “little dates,” and they’re so called both for their diminutive size and their candylike sweetness. Grown in the southern region of Puglia, datterini thrive in the intense heat (the region gets, on average, 2,500 hours of sun a year!). Their natural sugars are concentrated by those long hours in the sun, giving the tomatoes a well-balanced flavor profile that sings with ripe sweetness. Datterini has the highest sugar content of all tomatoes, with minimal acidity. Use these little gems right out of the jar for a bright pop of flavor in salads, pasta, or atop pizzas.

On the southern heel of Italy's boot, Puglia is known for its beautiful whitewashed towns, white sand beaches, and rich agricultural history. The hot southern sun is a boon for Puglia’s most popular crops: figs, tomatoes, and olives. Founded by the Pozzuto sisters in 2001, Masseria Dauna is a woman-owned and operated company dedicated to preserving Puglian culture with integrity and authenticity. They grow their tomatoes in Lucera, on the hills of the Dauni mountains, where the scorching heat meets cool mountain breezes.

They use a technique called arid culture to grow their tomatoes, a more sustainable form of agriculture that does not require intense watering, but rather relies on the natural strength of the soil to nourish the fruit. The result is incredibly concentrated flavor that’s never thin or sour. The tomatoes are picked, washed, and processed by hand, and go from field to jar within three hours to capture the absolute peak of freshness. Masseria Dauna’s products are preserved simply and without any additives to maintain the authentic taste of ripe tomatoes.