In the old days, canned tomatoes didn't exist! To have tomatoes for cooking in the winter, Italians dried part of their summer crop in ristras using the same drying method used for chili peppers; then they would pluck off what they needed. Isola's Sundried Tomatoes are marinated in balsamic which mellows the sharp, concentrated tomato flavor, then stored in extra virgin olive oil along with capers and oregano. A true favorite!