Yellow Roma Tomatoes

Estimated Inventory, 10 lbs : 0

• View where this article is trending worldwide

• See Recipes

• Learn More

• Questions & Feedback

Description/Taste

Yellow Roma tomatoes distinguish themselves by their elongated torpedo shape and their golden-yellow coloring. The Yellow Roma is characterized as a paste tomato, also known as a plum, pear, processing, or saladette tomato, which generally has a thicker fruit wall, fewer seeds, and a denser yet grainier flesh. Yellow Roma tomatoes are heavy for their size, each weighing about 1.5 ounces. Their skin is smooth and thin, and their flesh is sweet and firm, containing two cavities that carry a few tiny, edible seeds. They do not have much juice, and they have both low acid and sugar content, which results in a mild tomato flavor with a subtle sweetness that is amplified when cooked. The determinate Yellow Roma tomato plant grows up to forty inches tall, and its fruit all ripens about the same time on the compact vines that do not require staking and are known to be very disease resistant.

Seasons/Availability

Yellow Roma tomatoes are available in late summer to early fall.

Current Facts

Yellow Roma tomatoes, botanically named Lycopersicon esculentum ‘Roma’, are also known as Italian tomatoes or Italian plum tomatoes. They are a member of the Solanaceae family along with the potato, eggplant, and tobacco. While it is an open-pollinated variety, meaning that saved seed will grow true to the parent, Yellow Roma has been steadily improved to the point where most Yellow Roma vines are disease resistant, and in fact they have been bred specifically for their disease resistance, shape, and durability. Yellow Roma tomatoes carry a recessive mutant gene that is responsible for the fruit's coloring. Unlike red tomatoes, Yellow Roma tomatoes have reduced levels of chlorophyll and they are absent of detectable anthocyanins, the compound responsible for the red pigment in food plants. The yellow coloring is also a direct result of the fruits containing high levels of yellow carotenoids (carotene) and flavonoids in the skin.

Nutritional Value

Yellow Roma tomatoes are very high in vitamins C and A. They also contain decent amounts of calcium, iron, sulfur, and potassium.

Applications

Yellow Roma tomatoes have a meaty flesh that holds up well in both cooked and raw tomato preparations. As a paste-type tomato with their lower juice content, the time to cook down to a paste consistency is half that of other types of tomatoes. Being meatier and less juicy than other types also makes them the preferred choice of tomato for canning, sauces, salsa, and dehydrating. Yellow Roma tomatoes can be slow roasted, dried, stuffed and baked, or sliced and added to stews and soups to bring out their concentrated tomato flavor. Their lush flesh makes them perfect for chopped and tossed salads and fresh salsas. They pair well with garlic, chilies, beans, shrimp, summer squash, eggplant, watermelon, cucumbers, basil, oregano, cilantro and both fresh and aged cheeses. Use Yellow Roma tomatoes with other in-season ingredients to achieve the highest quality and flavor. Their low moisture content gives them extended fresh storage time, and they also freeze well for later cooking. Store Yellow Roma tomatoes at room temperature indoors, or in a shady place outside, and for peak flavor and nutrition use them within a week. Refrigerate only extra ripe tomatoes to slow the process of decay.

Ethnic/Cultural Info

Yellow Roma tomatoes are quite popular in American, Mexican, Australian, and English cuisines.

Geography/History

Roma tomatoes were developed in the early 1950’s by William S. Porte at the USDA's Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland. They were developed from a cross between two popular Italian paste tomato varieties, one of which is believed to be san marzano, which was then bred with another variety known as pan america. Today, there are many varieties of the roma tomato ranging from deep red, to orange, to the Yellow Roma tomato.