Tomato paste

Tomato paste is a thick paste made from tomatoes, which are cooked for several hours to reduce water content, straining out seeds and skins, and cooking the liquid again to reduce the base to a thick, rich concentrate.

[1] It is used to impart an intense tomato flavour to a variety of dishes, such as pasta, soups and braised meat.

[3] One traditional practice was applied by spreading out a much-reduced tomato sauce on wooden boards that were set outdoors under the hot sun to dry the paste until it was thick enough, when it was scraped up and held together in a dense mass.

[citation needed] Examples of dishes in which tomato paste may be commonly used include pasta sauces, soups, and braised meat.

[8] Based on the manufacturing conditions, the paste can be the basis for making ketchup or reconstituted tomato juice: