Food Guide

Plum Tomato vs Roma Tomato: Unraveling the Delicious Distinctions

Emily Wong is an Asian-American food writer the founder of Cookindocs.com. With nearly 8 years of experience, she has a passion for making cooking accessible to everyone and sharing her personal experiences with food. Emily's vision for Cookindocs.com is to create a community of food lovers who are passionate about cooking, eating, and sharing their experiences with others. Read my story

What To Know

  • Due to the aforementioned feature (dense and fleshy texture), plum tomatoes in general, or Roma tomatoes in particular, are typically used for making sauce or canning.
  • You can make tomato sauces or pastes from scratch from these fruits, or can easily find a can of whole, diced, or sauces that are made from Roma tomatoes in a grocery store.

If you are looking for the best tomato for your home-grown salad, consider plum tomatoes, or specifically, Roma tomatoes.

So what are the differences as well as similarities between these fruits?

Read on to learn more about plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes.

What is special about plum tomatoes?

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Plum tomatoes are a common type of tomatoes that produce oval-shaped tomatoes.

These fruits are also known as processing tomatoes or paste tomatoes because they are bred and typically used for making sauces.

Plum tomatoes are often smaller than beefsteak tomatoes.

There are different varieties of plum tomatoes, such as Roma tomatoes, Amish Paste, San Marzano, or Big Mama.

Plum tomatoes are not as juicy as other types of tomatoes.

And due to their high ratio of flesh to water, this type is perfect for making tomato sauce rather than eaten raw as a snack or for salads.

What is special about Roma tomatoes?

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Roma tomatoes, also known as Italian tomatoes, or Italian plum tomatoes, are a variety of plum tomatoes.

While plum tomatoes can be determinate or semi-determinate type vines, the Roma variety is only determinate.

Roma tomatoes have a similar shape to other varieties of plum tomatoes, which are oblong or oval.

This type of tomato is typically used in Italian cuisine, especially for making sauces and pastes due to its firm texture.

Roma tomatoes, like other types of tomatoes, are packed with nutrients that are essential for good health.

What are the differences between plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes?

Since Roma tomatoes are a variety of plum tomatoes, there are not many differences between these fruits.

The comparison table below will show you some key differences between plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes:

 Plum tomatoesRoma tomatoes
TypeDeterminate, indeterminateOnly determinate
ProductivityFewer fruitsMore fruits
Common placesEurope and AmericaUnited States, Italy, Australia, Mexico
VariantsMore varieties, including Roma tomatoes,Asian cooking and Western cooking

What are the similarities between plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes?

In this section, we are going to break down the similarities between plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes:

Roma tomatoes are actually a variety of plum tomatoes

Roma tomatoes are actually a famous variety of plum tomatoes.

This means that all Roma tomatoes are plum tomatoes, but not all plum tomatoes are Roma.

Due to this similarity, these fruits also share other characteristics of this type of tomato.

Plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes have fewer seeds, less water, and more flesh

So both look the same with the succulent red color when ripe and an oval shape.

They are also fleshy rather than being juicy.

There are fewer seeds and less water when you slice Roma tomatoes or other plum tomato varieties.

Therefore, when touched, they are likely to have a firmer texture compared to other beefsteak tomatoes that are bred for eating raw because they are so juicy.

Plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes are typically used for making sauces

Due to the aforementioned feature (dense and fleshy texture), plum tomatoes in general, or Roma tomatoes in particular, are typically used for making sauce or canning.

You can make tomato sauces or pastes from scratch from these fruits, or can easily find a can of whole, diced, or sauces that are made from Roma tomatoes in a grocery store.

Plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes are nutritious ingredients

Last but not least, these tomatoes also share nutritional values.

As other types of tomatoes, plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes are very nutritious.

They are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, C, K, E, B vitamins, potassium, iron, lycopene, beta-carotene, or dietary fiber.

All these compounds have their own precious benefits to your health.

So by adding Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes to your diet, you will not only have delicious dishes but also make your lifestyle much healthier.

The bottom line

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Now you know that Roma tomatoes are actually just a variety of plum tomatoes.

However, not all plum tomatoes are Roma tomatoes.

If you want to try authentic Italian dishes with the delicious and tangy tomato sauce or paste, it is worth using Roma tomatoes.

Otherwise, in most cases, other types of plum tomatoes are just fine to bring you the best dishes.

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Emily W.

Emily Wong is an Asian-American food writer the founder of Cookindocs.com. With nearly 8 years of experience, she has a passion for making cooking accessible to everyone and sharing her personal experiences with food. Emily's vision for Cookindocs.com is to create a community of food lovers who are passionate about cooking, eating, and sharing their experiences with others. Read my story
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