The Greek island that gives its name to the PDO-protected cherry tomato variety is Santorini.
The Santorini tomato, known in Greek as tomataki Santorinis, is a small cherry tomato adapted to the island’s unusual growing conditions. Santorini receives little rainfall, while its volcanic, alkaline soil and humid air create intense water stress for crops. These conditions helped shape a tomato with firm flesh, many seeds, and a sweet yet strongly acidic flavor.
The variety is typically round to slightly flattened, sometimes fluted, and weighs about 15–27 grams. Its fruits generally ripen in 80–90 days. Tomato cultivation became important on Santorini in the late nineteenth century and was once a major part of the island’s agricultural economy.
Tomataki Santorinis received European PDO registration in 2013. The designation protects the name and connects the product to its defined geographic origin; it does not mean that every cherry tomato sold on Santorini is automatically the protected variety.