Paolo Gramaglia loves tomatoes. The owner and chef of the Michelin-starred President restaurant in Pompeii, his link with the fruit is so strong, he says, that he and it are intrinsically entwined. Not that he thinks he's special -- he thinks all Italians have the same relationship with the pomodoro.

"Tomatoes are in our DNA," he says. "We grow up with tomato in our recipes. They've become the symbol of our gastronomy." And he's right. Whether it's a scarlet-slicked pizza or a red-sauced spaghetti al pomodoro, Italy's most instantly recognizable dishes both include tomato. Even the emoji for pasta isn't just pasta -- it's a steaming plate of spaghetti heaped with tomato sauce on top.