bergamot – Page 2

Biodiversity of Calabrian Gastronomy

20.7.2019

THE REGION IS 9° IN THE TOP TEN OF ITALY

The “flag of taste” nr. 9 was assigned this year, 2019, at the table of Calabria. This is what emerged from the new census 2019 of the Italian food & beverage specialties, that are obtained according to traditional rules protracted over time for at least 25 years.
The census was presented by Coldiretti at the opening of the Coldiretti Farmer’s Village in Milan at Castello Sforzesco, athe presence of many farmers, farmer’s markt operators and agri-chef.

The exhibition introduced many historical recipes, and the sub-exhibitions, connected to this bigger event, made known many treasures to save, hidden in the Made in Italy.
At the event, there was a large representation of Calabrian farmers, who exhibited and made taste some of the most famous agricultural products of Calabria: liquorice, figs, Dop salami, Spilinga nduja pasta, bergamot, cheeses, cedar, chilli pepper and many others.

269 GASTRONOMIC SPECIALTIES

“In our region – said Franco Aceto regional president of Coldiretti – the products surveyed by the region are 269 that are part of the heritage of specialties that are obtained according to traditional rules extended over time for at least 25 years. These are paired with the 17 Dop and Igp Calabresi specialties.“

**Salami, Bergamot, Wine, Cheese, Bread**

“This is the result of the work of entire generations of farmers committed to defending and preserving biodiversity and the distinctiveness of the territory and food traditions over time “, continued Aceto, who also stressed that “it is a common good for all citizens and a cultural heritage that generates considerable interest and that we can proudly offer to Italian and foreign tourists also because they are evocative of stories and territories“.

The census of food products in our region – suggested Aceto – “must accelerate and continue because there is still a rich heritage of biodiversity and products that can be put to value with undisputed benefits. We need to consolidate the new development model of Calabria, basing it on the strengths that are its own historical and artistic heritage, the landscape and the food.“

“The regional specialties of Calabria are – according to Coldiretti – 85 different types of pasta, bread and bakery products, 28 types of meat, 24 cheeses, and further: 73 vegetable or processed products, 12 compound dishes or gastronomic products, 7 beverages (including soft drinks), liqueurs and spirits, 11 products of animal origin (honey, dairy excluding butter, etc.) and 21 preparations of fish, molluscs and crustaceans “.

Rice Flavored With Bergamot

8.7.2019

RICE WITH BERGAMOT OF LOCRI

Near one of the main city of Calabria (Reggio Calabria), in Locri’s restaurants and hotels tourists love Rice Flavored With Bergamot.

This fantastic dish makes tourists go crazy just like the linguine pasta with Genoese pesto (which is universally a must of the Ligurian and then Italian cuisine).

In 2015 this bergamot rice was the Italian dish preferred by foreign tourists, who visited the “Bel Paese”. This is what emerges from a study carried out by a famous Italian hotel chain. The dish, obtained with the juice of the citrus fruit, called Bergamot, gained the winner position, in comparison with dishes much more known and noble, conquering the top of the top ten, also in the challenge with the internationally known Bologna’s lasagna and with Tuscan crostini with livers.

The salient feature of such dish is that the rice spreads the ineffable perfume, smell and taste of Bergamot coming from Reggio Calabria, the city whose geographic area is the only to cultivate the best Bergamot of the World.

This fruit intensively cultivated herein and in the lower Jonio is an authentic richness of the Region (the so called “green gold”).

Particularly, the fruit is currently cultivated on an area of around 1,500 hectares, with an average production of 100,000 kilos of essence.

Experts say that such crops, according to the 2016 trend, have satisfied all producers goal, letting foreign tourists discover the Italian culinary specialties always respecting balance and taste, focusing on the pleasantness and on authentic rediscovery of the flavors of Calabrian land.

A SUCCESS FOR CALABRIA AND MEDITERRANEAN DIET

The ten dishes that competed for the preferences of over 1,000 tourists, who came to Italy in the last year, ranged from the first to the side dishes, to the most appetizing and delicious appetizers and they saw the Calabrian and Ligurian specialties in their head with 18% of preferences on an equal footing.

Pesto and rice with bergamot, a sort of Calabria-Liguria tandem, have received a plenty of votes by French, German and Spanish tourists.

However, according to the study, also the “farfalle (a type of pasta) with bergamot scent” have literally conquered tourists in Italy on vacation or for business; they were very popular, according to the study.

Conclusively, this is a very clear success for the characteristic citrus of Reggio Calabria and its province – whose use ranges from gastronomy (from pastry to the production of drinks and liqueurs) to perfumes, thanks to its essence, which is fundamental for the water of Cologne.