Quick Summary of Peruanische Beuteltomate (Peruvian Bag)
- 🌍 Origin: A variety with a confusing but fascinating history. Known in Russia as “Peruvianskiy Meshochek”, it traces back to German heirloom collections where it is known as Peruanische Beuteltomate or possibly Beuteltomate aus El Salvador.
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall (easily exceeding 2 meters / 6.5 ft in a greenhouse).
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright orange, pear-shaped or “pouch-shaped” (Beutel) fruits with slight ribbing. Weight varies between growers, generally ranging from 50g up to 250g (1.7 to 8.8 oz). The walls are thick and meaty.
- 👅 Flavor & Texture: Highly debated among growers! Some describe it as a sweet dessert tomato, while others find the taste perfectly ordinary, “so-so,” or slightly acidic/tart. It is not a very juicy tomato, leaning more towards a paste texture.
- ⏳ Maturity & Storage: Mid-season to mid-late. Its greatest strength is its shelf life. The fruits can be stored indoors for months, with some growers eating them fresh into November.
- 💡 Pro Tips for Growing: Because of its dense walls and shape, it is absolutely spectacular for whole-fruit canning—it holds its shape and doesn’t crack. However, watch out for Blossom End Rot (BER), as its pear shape makes it susceptible to calcium deficiencies.
An indeterminate variety with a high potential for fruit formation. It forms large clusters of beautiful, bright orange, pear-shaped fruits, slightly ribbed… the weight of the fruits is from 150 to 250 g (5.3 to 8.8 oz).
The fruits are dense, meaty, with a pleasant dessert taste… they can be stored for a long time without loss of quality.
I grew it in greenhouse conditions in 2-3 stems…
The discovery of this season! :yep: :yep: :yep:
I have encountered two varieties with a name that includes the word Beutel – which means pouch, small bag, or purse in German:
1. Beuteltomate aus El Salvador
2. Peruanische Beuteltomate
In other languages, this shape is probably most often called pear-shaped, but the marketers at the “Biotekhnika” seed company found a resemblance to a truffle in it, but that is, perhaps, just a marketing ploy.
Moreover, the first variety appeared in the German tomato atlas in 2006, and the second in 2007. According to descriptions and photos, both varieties are surprisingly similar, if not identical.
Tatiana Kushnareva mentions both, and the photos are from the exact same Klaus-Peter Schurz from Germany. I purposefully searched several times for mentions of such a variety on the internet and I never found any others except in Germany or with reference to German sources.
So guess about the origin of the name. One can only assume that someone brought this variety to Germany from El Salvador, and during the subsequent transfer of its seeds from gardener to gardener, the country where it was brought from was mixed up, since both are Latin American.
When I first saw a photo of Beuteltomate aus El Salvador, I was fascinated by it and for a very long time wanted to get the seeds. Then, disappointed by the taste of the “Truffles” from Biotekhnika, I stopped wanting it. But now, after Natasha’s description, I started thinking about it again. Especially since over the years, new comments on this variety have appeared in the German atlas: as a result, two say that it is hollow and mealy, not very tasty, while two others highly praise the taste.
There are no comments on the Peruanische Beuteltomate (Peruvian Pouch).
Thank you, Aleksandr! The origin of this variety is, indeed, mysterious for us… perhaps its roots do originate in distant El Salvador and its further path lay exactly through Germany…
Actually, the variety charmed me this summer – you used the right word… The taste qualities turned out to be top marks :niam: I already mentioned that I grew several bushes of it on the sunniest side of my new polycarbonate greenhouse, they had plenty of sun and heat :hey: and the fruits began to ripen in early July… I only picked fully ripe fruits, and yet, they remained for a very long time without any loss of quality…
I would like, Aleksandr, for this variety to be tested next season on your plot too 🙂
Planted it in the greenhouse. Managed it in 3 stems. The yield is good, a little on the late side. Keeping quality is good.
A candidate for next year.
Natasha, thanks for the seeds, excellent variety! :yep: :thx:
Indeterminate, grew in the greenhouse in 2 stems, very productive, set tasty :niam: bright orange pears of 50-150 g (1.7-5.3 oz) well, mid-season, fruited for a long time, the last fruits were stored very well.
What a gorgeous variety!!!
The variety has two undeniable advantages – productive and has great shelf life (keeper). The rest is quite so-so. In my humble opinion, of course.
Also, this variety is very beautiful in canning, and since the walls are dense, it does not crack and holds its shape! :yep:
C
I am delighted with this variety – productive, tasty, and very beautiful! :yep:
The variety turned out to be productive. Ripened mid-season. In the polytunnel it was over 2 meters (6.5 ft) tall. The fruits are meaty, pleasant taste with a slight tartness/acidity. Kept quite well.
I somehow still didn’t understand about the taste of this variety. Can you write more specifically?
Aglaya wrote:
I somehow still didn’t understand about the taste of this variety. Can you write more specifically?
To write more specifically, I would need to eat it right now 😀 I had over 200 varieties planted. Remembering all the flavor nuances of each variety is a bit problematic for me. What I can say for sure is that the fruits of the Peruvian Pouch were not sweet, but at the same time not bland either.
ilja wrote:
To write more specifically, I would need to eat it right now 😀 I had over 200 varieties planted. Remembering all the flavor nuances of each variety is a bit problematic for me. What I can say for sure is that the fruits of the Peruvian Pouch were not sweet, but at the same time not bland either.
Ilya, when you eat them in the summer – write it down :-[
Aglaya wrote:
Ilya, when you eat them in the summer – write it down :-[
But that’s exactly how I wrote it down: “The fruits are meaty, pleasant taste with a slight tartness/acidity” 😉 And from there, as the Russian saying goes: for some the pearls are too small, and for others the cabbage soup is too thin. Everyone has different tastes.
The variety is productive, beautiful, stores well, but the taste is average. But I will repeat it. I want to try it in jars (canning).
A handsome guy, and looks so much like Aladdin’s Lamp. Has anyone compared the varieties?