Tomato paste

Tomato paste is a thick paste made from tomatoes, which are cooked for several hours to reduce water content. The seeds and skins are then strained out and the liquid is cooked again to reduce to a thick, rich concentrate. Tomato paste is used to impart an intense tomato flavour in dishes such as pasta, soups and braised meat. It is used as an ingredient in many world cuisines. By contrast, tomato purée is a liquid with a thinner consistency than tomato paste, while tomato sauce is even thinner in consistency. Tomato paste is a traditional food ingredient used in many cuisines. One traditional practice in Northern Italy involved spreading out a much-reduced tomato sauce on wooden boards that were set outdoors under the hot sun to dry the paste until it was thick enough, when it was scraped up and held together in a dense mass. Commercial production uses tomatoes with thick pericarp walls and lower overall moisture. Tomato paste in Iran is made by cooking tomatoes for a long time to reduce the water content, removing the seeds and skin, and cooking it more to make a thick condiment. In the US, tomato paste is simply concentrated tomato solids (no seeds or skin), and with a standard of identity (in the Code of Federal Regulations, see 21 CFR 155.191).