Every year, toward the end of summer, the ritual begins. Crates of ripe tomatoes arrive at markets. Tables are set up in backyards, garages and kitchens. Large pots come out, bottles and jars are washed and lined up, and families and friends gather for a long day of washing, cooking, milling and bottling.
For Italian families around the world, making passata, Italian tomato sauce, at the end of summer has become much more than a way of filling the pantry. But it began with something much more practical: preserving food when it was plentiful so there would be enough when it was not.
