Tomato sauce and tomato paste are two different products from similar raw materials. Tomatoes are the basic ingredients of tomato sauce and tomato paste.
They are different products based on production, usage, and taste.
Key Takeaways
- Tomato sauce is thinner and contains additional seasonings, while tomato paste is a highly concentrated, thickened tomato product.
- Tomato paste serves as a base for various dishes and sauces, while tomato sauce is ready-to-use and can be directly added to recipes.
- Tomato sauce has a lower tomato content than tomato paste, resulting in a milder flavor.
Tomato Sauce vs Tomato Paste
Tomato sauce is a liquid condiment made from tomatoes and other ingredients such as onions, garlic, and herbs used as a base for many dishes. Tomato paste is a concentrated form of tomato sauce, made by cooking tomatoes down to a thick paste and then removing the seeds and skins.
Tomato sauce is a world-famous product used by millions of people daily in their dishes. The tomatoes are the primary ingredient of the tomato sauce.
People use tomato sauce as a part of vegetables and meat. They also used to eat along with junk foods. The classic Italian and Mexican dishes are made only with tomato sauce.
The people living there love to eat the saucy dishes of pasta.
Tomato paste is different from tomato sauce. The tomato paste has a thick consistency. The water content in tomato paste is less when compared to tomato sauce.
The tomato paste is cooked in highly concentrated heat to reduce the water content present in the tomatoes. The tomato paste is consumed along with pasta, meat, and soups.
Most people in the Middle countries add sugar with tomato paste.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | Tomato Sauce | Tomato Paste |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | Tomato sauce has flavors and a variety of ingredients | Tomato paste has tomatoes and salt. |
| Consistency | Tomato sauce has a thinner consistency | Tomato paste has a thicker consistency |
| Water content | Tomato sauce has a high water content | Tomato paste has less water content |
| Taste | Tomato sauce tastes like fresh tomatoes | Tomato paste tastes like dried tomatoes |
| Healthier | Tomato sauce has a less nutritional level | Tomato paste has high nutritional value |
What is Tomato Sauce?
Tomatoes are rich in watery content and juicy content. They also have rich flavours.
The tomatoes have soft flesh around the juicy part, which present inside. Red is the primary colour of tomatoes. The tomato sauce is cooked by adding some flavours and aromatics to the tomatoes.
Countries like India, the United States, and New Zealand use tomato sauce in the name of Ketchup. The Ketchup is nothing but something added to enhance the flavours of the dishes.
Tomato sauce has various names. Sugo and Salsa Roja are the popular alternative name for tomato sauce. Lo Scalco alla Moderna is the first Italian cookbook to introduce tomato sauce in their dishes. Antonio Latini writes it.
The primary ingredients of tomato sauce are tomatoes, olive oil, salt, herbs, and spices. According to the sauce’s texture, tomatoes’ skin is peeled and then cooked with flavours.
The tomato seeds are removed during the preparation.
The tomato sauce has a thinner texture. Onion and garlic will be added to enrich the tomato flavours. Other than onion and garlic, ingredients like chilli pepper, basil, oregano, and parsley are added to the tomato sauce.
Every country has its dish for tomato sauce. It is used to improve the taste while it blends in the tongue.
What is Tomato Paste?
The tomato paste is a traditional part of every dish in Southern Italy. In the commercial production of tomato paste, a tomato with thick pericarp walls is used, which gives the ticker consistency for paste.
The tomatoes used in commercial production are different from those available in the market. By the 20th century only tomato paste was available in the retail markets.
The primary reason for using tomato paste is to sweeten the flavour of the dishes.
The natural flavour of tomatoes is unique by their juicy content. In pasta sauce and meat the tomato paste is the primary ingredient added to enrich the flavors.
But it needs to be activated before using the tomato paste in the dishes. The tomato paste is available in jars, cans, and tubes.
The activation process of the tomato paste is simple. First, take a cup of tomato paste, and pour it into the pan with hot oil. Then mix and cook the tomato paste until the aroma comes.
Finally, add the tomato paste to the dishes to enrich the flavours. The tomato paste is added in the earlier stage of the words to achieve the caramelization process and increase the taste of the food.
Main Differences Between Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste
- The tomato sauce is packed in jars, whereas the paste is packed in tubes, tins, and jars.
- Tomato sauce has more water content when compared to tomato paste.
- The 10 grams of tomato sauce has 29 calories, whereas the 10 of tomato paste have 82 calories.
- The 10g of tomato sauce has 1.3g of protein, whereas the 10g of tomato paste has 4.3g of protein.
- Tomato sauce is more flavorful when compared to tomato paste.
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00217-002-0501-6
- https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf049345h
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
I find it pretty ironic how the title says ‘a comprehensive guide’ and it proceeds to give only basic information.
This post gives a lot of data, but I already knew everything. It is not the scholarly article I was hoping for.
It is interesting to know that tomato paste has more applications across cuisines than the sauce. I never saw it that way.
I never thought about it either. It really makes me wonder why.
Maybe it’s the consistency, the paste has a stronger flavor.
How can Tomato sauce have less nutritional value than Tomato paste, it doesn’t make sense.
I must say that I really appreciated the table comparing the Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste, it was very informative.
This is an interesting article, I was surprised to know that the tomato sauce has a lower nutritional value than the tomato paste.