I recently discovered a local Italian meat packing company that is several generations old from the mid 1800s. They still do all kinds of fresh and cured meats which is nice but what drove me to them were their variety of unusual dry pastas. Right next to the pastas were all kinds of sauces and canned tomatoes. Today I picked up a 28 oz can of Scalfani Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino DOP tomatoes to make a quick red sauce. The tomatoes were blended with olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper to make a simple sauce mixed with casarecci pasta and topped with fresh basil and parmagiano reggiano. I liked the sauce but am not sure how different these tomatoes are to other San Marzanos. For those experienced tomato lovers do you find these DOP San Marzanos to be better than the typical choices and worth the extra cash? Also what recipes do find help accent the quality of the tomatoes?..Cheers, Gary
This is a thread I hope gains traction as you’ve asked very relevant questions that I have thought of myself.
My dago…take
Oregano = Pizza
Less is better
Short answer- no.
Long answer is more complicated. San Marzano refers to two things- both a region of Italy and a strain of tomatoes. So the addition of the DOP to can of San Marzano tomatoes is really the equivalent of a stamp from the Italian government guaranteeing provenance. (Its very similar to the whole Champagne versus Sparkling wine thing.) OTOH, a can of San Marzano tomatoes without the DOP on the label might not necessarily come from Italy (they could be labelled domestically like “Italian-style” or something similar). In the long run (and you can find this info online) what the DOP designation guarantees is-
What strain of tomato they are. Where in Italy they can be grown. How they are to be grown. The size, shape, and color when harvested. That they be harvested by hand. That they are peeled when packed
While other tomatoes don’t give you that stamp, I find that they taste the same or better without costing as much. In fact, I buy Jersey tomatoes when I can find them. For San Marzano DOP I like Cento and for a US “Italian Style” I actually like Whole Foods 360 brand.
Related discussion -
Canned Plum Tomatoes: Your Favorite and Why? Canned Plum Tomatoes:Your Favorite and Why? - Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes - WineBerserkers
John, let me know when you run out of Jersey tomatos and want more. Happy to get them for you again.
Ship to california? 
Looks like I will have to a blind simple pomodoro tasting with a couple of brands of DOP San Marzanos with the generic based on previous reviews.
I have used a number of San Marzanos, including Cento, Scalfani, and Le Fede. Like them best for a simple tomato sauce or when I make pizza and just slightly crush them onto the dough.