Marinara tomato - NYT Crossword Clue

Introduction

Today's clue, "Marinara tomato," is a classic example of a straightforward definition found in many crossword puzzles. It taps into common culinary knowledge, asking solvers to identify a specific type of tomato well-suited for a popular Italian sauce. It's the kind of clue that can provide a satisfying and quick entry point into a grid.

Clue Analysis

The clue is simple and direct: "Marinara tomato".

• Marinara: This is the key qualifier. Marinara is a well-known tomato-based sauce, central to Italian-American cuisine.
• tomato: The clue is asking for a variety of tomato.

The puzzle is looking for the name of a tomato variety that is particularly famous for or commonly used in making marinara sauce. The answer will be a four-letter noun.

Thinking Approaches

A solver might arrive at the answer through a few different paths:

1. Direct Knowledge: If you're a home cook or a foodie, you might immediately know that certain types of tomatoes are better for sauces. The Roma tomato, also known as a plum tomato, is a top candidate due to its low water content and fewer seeds.

2. Word Association: Your thought process might look like this:

   Marinara -> Italian sauce -> Tomatoes -> What kind of tomatoes? -> San Marzano (too long), Plum, or... ROMA.

3. Using Crossings: Since the answer is a short, common word, even one or two crossing letters can make it obvious. If you had R _ M _, the answer ROMA would likely jump out, especially given the Italian context of "marinara".

Background Context

The Roma tomato is a type of plum tomato. These tomatoes are characterized by their oblong shape, dense flesh, and low seed count. This makes them ideal for canning and creating thick sauces like marinara, as they provide a rich tomato flavor without excess water. While not originally from Italy (they were developed in the U.S. in the 1950s), their name evokes the heart of Italian cuisine, Rome (or Roma in Italian), and they have become a staple for sauce-making worldwide.

Conclusion

"Marinara tomato" is a great example of an accessible, knowledge-based clue. It rewards familiarity with everyday topics like cooking and food. For those unfamiliar with the term, its short length and common letters make it solvable with the help of a few crossing entries. It's a fair and solid piece of fill that helps anchor a corner of the puzzle.

Hints

1. Hint 1: This is a specific variety of tomato often used in Italian sauces.
2. Hint 2: This type of tomato is also known as a plum tomato.
3. Hint 3: The name of this tomato is also the Italian name for a major European capital.
4. Hint 4: The answer is the Italian word for the city of Rome.