| Vegetables & Legumes |
Chestnuts
Chestnuts were a product both for the rich and the poor. The former prepared with them refined recipes, while the latter appreciated them for their high nutritional value. From chestnuts it is possible to obtain a flour which lasts long without deteriorating and, therefore, ideal to feed the troops in case of war. The tree was probably introduced in Italy and Europe by the Romans, but it was in the Middle Ages that the tireless monks created large cultivations both in the mountains and in the hills. Cilento White FigPDO – Protected Designation of Origin
The fig cultivation in Cilento has very ancient origins and probably goes back to the 4th century BC. The plant was considered sacred by the Greek and is linked to episodes of the Bible and legends. In the past, figs were used to prepare herb teas. Today, thanks to their therapeutic properties, are used to prepare diet foodstuffs and in the herbalist's shop. The role played by the tree to protect the environment is also important. The pulp is particularly soft, very sweet, amber-colored, with prevalently empty achenes and a full internal receptacle. These could be considered the most outstanding features of this lovely product on the market. Wrapped up uncooked in different shapes the Figs of Cilento are commercialized even according to the traditional way: placed in bulk into handmade baskets that could weight even more than 20 Kilos! You can find them also "staccati": pierced through wooden sticks to make the so-called "spatole" or "mustaccioli". The white fig is delicious even stuffed with almonds, nuts, walnuts, fennel seeds, citrus skins rather than iced with chocolate, or soaked in rum, in order to enlarge the offer's range, most of all during Christmas. "Dottato" FigsPGI – Protected Geographical Indication Geographically Protected and Identified denomination that refers to the dried product belonging to the so-called "dottato": precious fig's variety, particularly present all around the South of Italy. Paestum ArtichokePGI – Protected Geographical Indication
This special artichoke has a vent on the top and matures between February and April. There are numerous qualities making this vegetable so good; first of all the therapeutic and beneficial virtues, due to its saline and vitamin content: calcium, phosphor, iron, sodium, potassium, vitamin A, B1, B2, C, PP, citric acid, nolic acid, cinarine (that increases the biliary flow as well as the diuresis) and sugars. It is tonic, stimulates the liver, eases the cough, contributes to purify the blood, strengthens the heart, dissolves calculus and detoxifies. Thanks to the special organoleptic and morphological characteristics the Paestum Artichoke is really appreciated and used to prepare several local and traditional Italian recipes. The European Union has "Geographically Protected and Identified" the Paestum artichoke since March 12th, 2004. Hazelnut of GiffoniIGT – Typical Geographical Indication
The locals in the area of production use it as important ingredient to make a huge range of deliciousness, like: desserts, cakes, ice-creams, creams, as well as unusual main courses and even hazelnut liqueurs. Thanks to the particular shape and the intrinsic quality, the hazelnut of Giffoni is perfectly fit for the direct consumption, both in shell and stoned. This lovely characteristic has renewed a strong interest into this product, even abroad. The collection starts in the third ten days of August; after that the fruits get dried and brought at a dampness of 5-7%; then they get stored into cool and dry places, free of smells and humidity. The highly nutritive value of "Nocciola di Giffoni" makes it precious in terms of prevention from dangerous diseases, like arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular troubles. Thanks to the high concentration of mono-unsaturated fat elements, such as the oleic acid, this little fruit is able to strongly limit the presence of cholesterol into your bloodstream. It is very rich in vitamins E, B and C, as well as minerals like iron, copper, zinc, phosphor, sodium, magnesium and selenium, which are extremely important for a good functioning of the cell system. San Marzano TomatoesPDO – Protected Designation of Origin
San Marzano tomatoes are thinner and pointier in shape. The flesh is much thicker with fewer seeds, and the taste is much stronger, sweeter and less acidic. Many people describe the taste as bittersweet, like high-quality chocolate. The fresh San Marzano tomato normally has two lobes, an oblong shape from six to eight centimeters long, no stalk and an intense red color. The product as it is (without any lesion) has a uniform bright red color and does not have any weird and not natural smell, neither grub of parasites. Cicerale Chick Pea
Bean of Controne
Controne is a small town in Salerno province not far from the Greek archaeological park at Paestum, famous for its production of white beans. This variety is almost known and appreciated all around the world. If you still don't have tasted them you can have the chance at the annual November festival in Controne. Thin-skinned, tender, and naturally sweet Controne bean needs no soaking and cooks to perfection in a few hours starting in cold water. |
Cilento, an area very rich in vegetation and above all in forests, is very important also for the production of chestnuts. Roccadaspide chestnuts (also called marroni di Roccadaspide) are very famous, together with Alburni chestnuts. They have a medium size and a compact and rather sweet pulp, covered by a membrane you can easily take off. The tree provides tannin, used for the skin tanning, and a good timber used in the past to build railway lines, telephone poles, fences, and furniture.
Cilento white fig has exclusive features: a yellow-green skin, an abundant pulp, and a very sweet taste. About 80,000 tons/year are produced. It can be eaten fresh, dried, or as a syrup. Dried figs are without a doubt an aristocratic production in the field of dried fruits. It is prepared in various ways: filled with walnuts and almonds, covered with chocolate, or in a wooden stick like kebabs.
The 90% of artichoke's production in Campania is concentrated within the province of Salerno, especially into the Plain of Sele. The variety known as "Tondo di Paestum" is characterized by medium sized flower-heads (no more than four per Kilo), spherical shaped, compact, pulpy, soft and thorn-free, green colored with a violet shade (except of the median coast).
The hazelnut of Giffoni IGT, known as "Nocciola di Giffoni" belongs to one of the most precious Italian varieties: Tonda di Giffoni. This extremely hazelnut flavor is characterized indeed, by a perfectly round seed (the nut once shelled), with white and firm pulp, aromatic taste, thin and easily removable perisperm (the nutritive tissue outside the sac containing the embryo). It is particularly suitable for toasting, peeling and calibration, also thanks to the homogeneous medium size of the fruit. Because of all these specific peculiarities Nocciola di Giffoni fits the industrial transformation, and is much appreciated for the production of pasta and chopped hazelnut, as well as primary product to make sweet specialties for the large-scale retail trade.
San Marzano tomatoes, a variety of plum tomatoes, are considered by many chefs to be the best sauce tomatoes in the world. The story goes that the first seed of the San Marzano tomato came to Campania in 1770, as a gift from the Kingdom of Peru to the Kingdom of Naples, and that it was planted in the area that corresponds to the present commune of San Marzano, in the province of Salerno. They were first grown in volcanic soil in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. The volcanic soil is believed to act as a filter for water impurities.
In the coat of arms of the Municipality of Cicerale, next to a chick pea plant there is the Latin sentence: "Terra quae cicera alit" – meaning "land with a bent for the chick pea production". The name of the Municipality probably derives from this legume cultivated in these lands since ancient times. The Municipality of Cicerale has protected its designation, Cece di Cicerale, with production specifications imposing the organic farming method and forbidding the watering, in order to obtain a final product with considerable organoleptic features. Cicerale chick peas are very good boiled and in salad with mollusks and octopus, or with the so-called làgana, a sheet of pasta dough rolled out by hand, also prepared with beans. The procedure to obtain the Protected Geographical Indication label (PGI) for this product has been started.
The beans have always had a specific connotation in the Italian historical uses and traditions. They've always been considered the poor people's food, just because their nutritional facts immediately make one's fill. As people became more and more concerned about food and health and with the expansion of the research in this field, beans began to be considered an essential ingredient in a balanced diet. That's why now they're appreciated mostly by everyone.
