Natural, typical, but above all Lucanian

UNIONE EUROPEA

Regione Basilicata

Dipartimento Agricoltura, Sviluppo Rurale, Economia Montana

Summary Sommario THE SPLENDOUR OF THE LANDSCAPES, THE CHARM OF THE PEOPLE AND THE WONDERFUL TASTE OF LUCANIAN PRODUCTS UNIONE EUROPEA

Regione Basilicata

Dipartimento Agricoltura, Sviluppo Rurale, Economia Montana

Vincenzo Viti - Regional Councillor for the Agriculture, Rural Development, Mountain Area Economy of the Basilicata Region

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A journey through the basilicata territories Wines DOC

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Aglianico del Vulture Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri Matera

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Wines IGT Basilicata Grottino di Roccanova

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DOP Published by the Basilicata Region Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Mountain Economy - Quality and Services Office agromktg@regione.basilicata.it e

Regione Basilicata 2009

www.regione.basilicata.it/sportelloeuropa www.porbasilicata.it Publication co-financed by the European Union in accordance with the A.T. 1 procedures for POR Basilicata 2000/2006 Produced and drafted by the editorial staff of the magazine ORIGINE - Il sapore del territorio italiano and edited by Edizioni L’Informatore Agrario Spa Via Bencivenga-Biondani, 16 - 37133 VERONA Tel. 045 8057511 - Fax 045 8009378 www.informatoreagrario.it www.origineonline.it

Pecorino di Filiano Caciocavallo Silano

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IGP Sarconi beans Senise peppers Matera bread

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DOP (temporary protecion) Extra virgin olive oil from «Vulture» Rotonda white beans The red Rotonda aubergine

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IGP (national temporary protection) Larder-seasoned Canestrato di Moliterno

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dop application in progress Baked olives from Ferrandina

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IGP application in progress The Melfi chestnut Lucanica di Picerno

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Graphics and photographs by

Territorial certification

Via del Commercio, sn - 75100 MATERA Tel./Fax 0835 381852

Cauliflower from the Ofanto Valley Lucanian honey Cacioricotta lucano Lamb from the Lucanian Dolomites

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Printed in March 2009

ORIZZONTI LUCANI

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THE SPLENDOUR OF THE LANDSCAPES, THE CHARM OF THE PEOPLE AND THE WONDERFUL TASTE OF LUCANIAN PRODUCTS If the aim of any territory is to highlight its best points then Basilicata has every reason to promote the excellence of its agricultural production.

Located in an area which was once part of Magna Graecia, Basilicata is a small region in southern Italy whose coasts are washed by the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. The roots of its agricultural history go back to the fertile work of Greek colonies which started up the techniques of olive and vine cultivation and introduced animal farming.

One example of the evolution to perfection of this “historical and technical journey” is the Aglianico vine, which is said to have arrived in these lands by way of the Ancient Greeks and then to have gradually found its way to the Vulture mountain area in the north of the region where, finding ideal climatic conditions, the superb Aglianico del Vulture Doc wine, the jewel of Lucanian wine production, came into being.

All of our agro-food products have a past that goes back thousands of years. The bread, pasta, wine, extra-virgin olive oil, cheeses and cooked meats are products that, due to their organoleptic and nutritional qualities, are among the best in the country. This superior quality can also be found in the fruit and vegetables - in the peaches and nectarines, the apricots, strawberries, oranges and clementines from the Metapontina area which is known as the “California of the South” thanks to the farsighted interventions of agrarian reform activities in the 1950s.

But Basilicata is also a hilly and mountainous land where free-range Podolica cows are bred, whose milk produces wonderful caciocavallo, one of the best cheeses in Italy.

Other excellent dairy products and cold meats are obtained from animal farming, especially from freerange and organic breeding. And at Matera, the City of “Sassi”, which has been part of Unesco world heritage since 1993, we produce Igp bread and Doc Matera wine.

Among the charming crater lakes in the Vulture area, the famous wine Aglianico Doc, considered by the experts as one of the hundred best wines in the world, and Vulture extra-virgin olive oil are produced. Not to speak of the tasty apples from the Agri Valley and the vintage Terre Alta Val D’Agri Doc wine, Sarconi beans and Senise Igp peppers.

And in the Potentino area at Picerno, in the heart of ancient Lucania, the Lucanica sausage is produced, a product which has been praised by writers since Roman times. In characteristic Filiano, however, pecorino Filiano Dop cheese is made which, together with Canestrato di Moliterno Igp and Caciocavallo Silano Dop, is one of the

most inviting cheeses of the Italian peninsula. Not to be forgotten is the intense aroma and spicy flavour of the very particular Red Aubergine from Rotonda, grown in the fertile lands and unspoilt nature of Pollino National Park, and also the taste and sweetness of Ferrandina baked olives which have been appreciated and exported to the United States since last century.

And, to mention just a few other delicacies, we also have Basilicata Igt and Grottino di Roccanova Igt wines; the tasty white beans from Rotonda; the much sought after Melfi chestnuts, a product known throughout Italy not only for its quality as a fruit but also one which is used in the confectionary industry. Then there are fifteen types of Lucanian honey; the Ofanto Valley cauliflower, the prince in country soups; Lucanian cacioricotta cheese with its pleasant flavour both when fresh or mature and the tender meat of the Lucanian Dolomite lamb, raised in the lush inland pastures.

All things considered, a trip to Basilicata means tasting its products and rich cuisine, learning about our culture and history, saturated with thousands of years of civilization. We therefore advise the “taste and culture tourist” to include Basilicata in his itineraries. He will be struck by its uniqueness, fascinated by the friendliness of its people and gladdened by the taste of its dishes and agricultural products, so full of ancient flavour.

Vincenzo Viti

Regional Councillor for the Agriculture, Rural Development, Mountain Area Economy of the Basilicata Region natural, typical, but above all lucanian

The jewel box of Lucanian flavours

A journey through the Basilicata territories An enchanting microcosm, whose spectacular variety provides unforgettable and magic moments, full of nature, culture, taste and hospitality. This could be the sensation that «overcomes» the wayfarer in search of flavour as he wanders through Basilicata. It is an extraordinary experience, immersed in the nature and origins of an ancient and hospitable land, that is best unfurled slowly by adapting to the rhythms and complex morphologies that forbid knowing «everything and immediately» and encourage instead a focused investigation in small stages, each one to be savoured as it comes along.

And that is exactly it, because opening the box of Lucanian flavours also implies plunging into a small area - less than 10,000 square metres - that has a wealth of varied and charming places: sea and mountains, lakes and rivers, woods and valleys, that alternate in a continuous chain of breathtaking scenery where protected areas and cultural, artistic, historical and archaeological treasures are jealously guarded and where the indelible traces of famous people, who once lived in this patch of the South, can still be found.

People like Federico II, the Stupor mundi (marvel of the world), who loved good food and the Vulture mountain area for his amusement - especially falconry - and for his leisure time, immersed in the peaceful countryside that is still famous today thanks to its food and wine delights, in primis the Aglianico doc wine.

The Grancia Park Some of Federico’s traditions can still be seen today falconry displays, for example, which, at special meetings, still bring to life the ancient hamlet of Melfi and make a weekend attraction in the wonderful Grancia Park, just a few kilometres from Potenza. The Park also hosts «La storia bandita» (The banished story), the largest-known folk theatre performance with over 400 volunteers in an artistic display on an international level with marvellous special effects.

The Lucanian Dolomites, with their incredible scenery, rise up not far from the Grancia Park. A bizarre and fascinating

landscape can be found in the Gallipoli Cognato Regional Park, with its 27,000 hectares of greenery. It is a vast protected area in the centre of the region with significant natural, historical and ethno-anthropologic value. The heart of the area is concentrated between Castelmezzano (listed in the elite club of the most beautiful villages in Italy) and Pietrapertosa, whose peaks have been linked by a steel cable for some time now so that the more daring visitors can experience an indescribable thrill, the only one in Europe in terms of beauty and maximum height. It is called the “volo dell’angelo” (flight of the angel). Suspended between sky and earth, there are two possible routes. One goes from Pietrapertosa (departure height 1,020 metres) to Castelmezzano (859), covering 1,415 metres and reaching a maximum speed of 110 kmh, and the other goes from Castelmezzano (departure height 1,019 metres) to Pietrapertosa (888 metri), reaching speeds of 120 kmh over a distance of 1,452 metres.

Going inland far enough to nudge the borders of the province of Matera, where the vegetation is lush and the animals are out to graze (including the famous Podolica breed of cow), the traveller heads towards Accettura. Here the magic of arboreal rites («Maggio» being the most famous) conquers even the most disillusioned spirit, especially if one stays for the whole festival that mixes sacred with profane. The festival begins on Pentecost Sunday when a large oak tree, called the «maggio» is cut down. Removed of its branches and bark, the tree is dragged into the town by several pairs of oxen. At the same time, the «cima», the tip of a holly tree, is selected from the Gallipoli woods and carried on shoulders to the town. Two days later, on Pentecost Tuesday, the «cima» is grafted to the «maggio», symbolising the union of the trees, a propitiatory rite evoking fertility and a good harvest. At this point the «maggio» is ready to be erected and this rite is completed in the main square by the expert elders and strong arms and with the help of thick ropes and hoists.

The Vulture mountain area Going back to Federico II, on the road that runs between Potenza and Melfi, Filiano is the first location in Vulture.

Here one can admire the extraordinarily valuable anthropological remains including the rocky paintings of Tuppo dei Sassi, the only ones found so far in Basilicata.

Continuing in the direction of Foggia, the splendid natural landscape is suddenly interrupted by castles that the emperor had built, each one very different: Lagopesole (which the king used only in the summer when the heat of Puglia and Sicily became unbearable), Palazzo S.

Gervasio (a kind of hunting lodge) and Melfi. Here the Stupor mundi issued his «Constitutiones Augustales» (also known as the Constitution of Melfi), the legal code of the Kingdom of Sicily founded on Roman and Norman law and one of the greatest works in legal history, in honour of a town that was not only vital to the Kingdom, but also an important communication hub and location of the «Suprema Corte dei Conti»(Supreme Court of Counts).

Vulture, then, is not only synonymous of good food, even if a trip to discover the wine cellars (both traditional and modern) is an experience in itself. Here, in the north-east part of the province of Potenza on the border of Puglia and Campania, Venosa, the home-town of the poet Quinto Orazio Flacco and one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, well deserves a visit, not only because of the wine estates that characterise the landscape, but also to admire the ancient remains of an area that was already inhabited 600,000 years ago. Founded and named Venusia in 291 BC by the Romans, the town has some spectacular monuments like the Pirro del Balzo Castle (named after the duke who had it built) and the Trinità building complex, which includes an unfinished church (called «l’incompiuta», the incomplete church). After visiting churches, palaces and fountains, one arrives at the Archaeological Park which displays artefacts from the Roman Republic period (from 509 BC to 27 BC) and the Middle Ages. The Jewish catacombs, discovered in 1853, and the object of a systematic study since 1974, are not to be missed. Made up of a series of long corridors along which the tombs and inscriptions of this population can be seen, they are curiously located next to another structure for Christians. This goes to prove how the Jews were able to live in peace with the local people.

Two charming volcanic lakes on the slopes of the Vulture mountain, have made Monticchio famous, a pleasant town popular with tourists, particularly in the summer.

The Lago Piccolo - Small Lake - (16 hectares of surface area with a 1,800 metre circumference) and the Lago Grande - Big Lake - (38 hectares and 2,700 metres in circumference) are overlooked by San Michele Arcangelo Abbey. Built in the VIII century on a cave dug into the tuff, in its heyday it was inhabited by monks. The religious heritage is influential throughout the Vulture mountain area - the Easter rites that, even now, take the observer through the intense dramatic moments of the Via Crucis, and the churches every here and there that guard their small and large art treasures. A truly beautiful monument is the Cathedral at Acerenza (another enchanting village), dating back to early XII century and erected by local workers under the direction of French architects, inspired by the architecture of the Benedictine monastery at Cluny. natural, typical, but above all lucanian

The Agri Valley An alternative route leaves from Potenza in a southerly direction and leads the traveller to explore an area where nature has been particularly generous: the Agri Valley, a mixture of practically uncontaminated environments and typical local products, just waiting to be tasted. We are in the very heart of the Val d’Agri-Lagonegrese Park, the right place for those who love to combine fun with peace, culture with old, yet-to-be-discovered traditions by wandering through the hamlets and towns that are so enchanting at any time of the year. For those who adore archaeology, the park in the old Roman city of Grumentum can be extremely exciting. Its origins go back to the first half of the III century BC (at the same time as Venusia and Paestum).

It was a strategic military location, privileged from an economic point of view by being at the centre of the old southern Lucanian road system (between via Herculia, via Appia and via Popilia). Going further in, where the territory is more barren and the roads less viable, the area around Sauro cela Guardia Perticara, one village that has been completely rebuilt since the earthquake in 1980, and where the exterior of the buildings in the old town centre have been covered with stone. It is a charming and extraordinarily beautiful sight that resembles Umbrian and Provençal villages and which was the heart of the land of the Enotri, an ancient and fascinating people, ancestors of the Lucanians.

The Pollino Mountain Park Leaving the Agri Valley to go even further south, the traveller’s eyes caress the increasingly more inaccessible peaks. Here, on the border between Basilicata and Calabria, the land becomes more barren and the villages climb higher and higher. It is the Pollino Mountain Park.

With its 182,000 hectares, it is the largest natural park in Italy. Its name comes from the Pollino massif and includes 56 municipalities, 32 on the Calabrian side and 24 in Basilicata. The symbol of the park is the loricate pine, and the most ambitious excursionists aim for the highest peaks just to see one close up. The impact with nature, flora and fauna is total. One can embark on the discovery of tiny villages (complete with convents and sanctuaries) or immerse oneself in the silence of nature trails broken only by the cries of kites, eagles and Egytian vultures that circle majestically while wild horses run between fir and beech trees and race off into the glades. In spring one can even see fabulous orchids blooming amidst violets, gentians, bluebells and an infinite number of officinal

and aromatic plant species such as thyme, savory, lavender and hyssop, whose flowers explode at the end of the summer in a delicate array of colours and hues.

Last, but not least, are the various families of wood fruits and natural shrubs that produce fruit and berries, like wild apples, the different types of Prunus, delicious wild strawberries and thirst-quenching raspberries at the sides of the footpaths and in the glades. Finally, sport in the Pollino park includes biking, trekking, canyoning, rafting, potholing, mountain biking and cross-country skiing.

Matera Matera, the tourist capital of Basilicata and site of the ancient Sassi quarter, which was declared as World Heritage by Unesco in 1993, deserves a chapter all to itself in the itinerary of taste. This is how Carlo Levi described it in his work «Christ stopped at Eboli»: «I arrived in Matera at about eleven in the morning.

I had read in the guidebook that it was a picturesque city which deservds a visit, that there is also an ancient art museum and some peculiar troglodytic dwellings.

Walking away from the station, I came across a road that was lined with old houses on one side while the other side was edged with a precipice. Matera lies within that precipice. The ravine has a strange shape, like two half funnels placed side by side divided by a small spur and united lower down by a mutual summit where one can see, from up there, a white church called Santa Maris de Idris which seems to be rammed into the ground. These upside down cones, these funnels, are called Sassi. They are shaped as a schoolboy might have imagined Dante’s Inferno. The roads fit in the narrow space between the walls and the slope and the pavements for the people coming out above are the roofs of the dwellings of those below.

Raising one’s eyes one can finally see, like an oblique wall, all of Matera. It truly is a beautiful, picturesque and impressive place».

Among the ups and downs, evacuations and repopulations, these ancient quarters are nowadays just a first class tourist picture postcard of Basilicata and Matera has become a tourist attraction for both Italian and foreign travellers all year round. There are a large number of characteristic bars and restaurants (many dug out in the tuff) open until late catering for the visitors with local or modernised delicacies as they take a break between one rocky church and another (there are about 150 churches throughout the Matera Plateau), the Tramontana Castle,

the hypogeums in Piazza Vittorio Veneto or the noble palaces that are a feature of the town centre. A wealth of cultural, artistic and archaeological heritage is on display in the various museums.

The National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art is located in the seventeenth century Palazzo Lanfranchi together with the D’Errico picture gallery and the Carlo Levi Centre. The «Domenico Ridola» National Archaeological Museum contains material mainly from the Matera area and focuses particular interest on the study of pre-historic southern Italy and the local culture and native populations (Enotri and Lucanians) who came into contact with the Greek colonies on the Ionic coast.

The “Musma”, the Museum of contemporary Matera sculpture, is home to a vast collection of works that tell the story of Italian and international sculpture from 1800 to modern times. The Museum-Laboratory of the Farming Community and the Museum of medieval torture are also worth visiting.

Lastly, cinema lovers might be fascinated by the scenery of such a unique town as Matera as were some great directors who have shot some very successful films there: from “The She-Wolf” by Alberto Lattuada (1953) to “Vangelo secondo Matteo” by Pierpaolo Pasolini (1964) to “The Passion” by Mel Gison (2004), which definitively consecrated the City of Sassi as an important filming location as well as an icon of international tourism (about thirty films have been shot, at least partially, in Matera).

The Metaponto area A final compulsory stopover on a trip through the Lucanian flavours is the Ionic strip, a tourist area that has recently experienced the greatest boom in terms of catering and accommodation facilities. This fascination with old traditions is portrayed by Metaponto, a Greek colony of great importance in the VIII century BC, where some famous philosophers and mathematicians stayed, including Pitagora (in the VI century BC). When observing the so-called Palatine Tablets, built in that very period, one can imagine being taken back to Magna Graecia again. These tablets are 15 Doric columns of an ancient temple which give an idea of the cultural greatness of the area that today is more well-known to travellers as being the very centre of the “made in Basilicata” fruit production zone.

It is thanks to the Metaponto area (and to Policoro in particular) that the region is now one of the most important in Italy for the quantity and quality of early fruit production (strawberries, apricots, peaches and nectarines), favoured by a generally dry and mild climate both in terms of blossoming and maturing. The Basilicata Region and Quality Agro-food District of Metapontino experimental centres support the efforts of the producers - who have cleverly known how to develop associations into cooperatives and organisations - by aiding research and trade development.

natural, typical, but above all lucanian

wines doc

AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE doc The red wine that links Italy to America

Denomination

Aglianico del Vulture Doc

Established by

Min. Dec. of 18-2-1971 (G.U. no. 129 of 22-5-1971)

Grape yield

100 q/ha

Max grape/wine yield

Not more than 70%

Types

Red, Vintage and Reserve, Sparkling

Production area

15 municipalities of Vulture in the province of Potenza: Rionero in Vulture, Barile, Rapolla, Ripacandida, Ginestra, Maschito, Forenza, Acerenza, Melfi, Atella, Venosa, Lavello, Palazzo San Gervasio, Banzi and Genzano di Lucania

Vines

Aglianico del Vulture 100%

wines doc

«Aglianico, a marvellous yet neglected wine». This was the headline in the Herald Tribune - the renowned North American newspaper - on 18th September 2008, as it ruefully commented on the poor knowledge that Americans have of this wine while, at the same time reporting on the progress that some companies in Basilicata have made in terms of quality/price ratio.

If, on the whole, there is still a lot of work to be done

PRODUCTION Aglianico del Vulture Doc is the “oldest” wine brand in the region (Doc since 1971) and it is also the «senior member» of all Lucanian Denomination of Origin Products. Known as the «Barolo of the South», a similarity that reinforces its excellence, it is made from the grapes of a native vine, probably imported by the Greeks, as the roots of the word indicate. This Hellenic vine took on its phonetic form to become Aglianico due to its Spanish pronunciation during the Aragon domination (XVI sec.).

The vineyards extend over the hilly and mostly volcanic lands located at between 200 and 700 metres above sea level. Winemaking processes, including aging, must be carried out within the production area.

An indication of the winemaking culture in the VultureMelfi area are the numerous wine cellars that can be found in the towns. Whether in the suburbs or inside the old buildings, these rooms are on the ground floor and have a horseshoe-shaped door, hollowed out in the tuff by the farmers when work in the fields was scarce in order to preserve food and wine. The more modern ones, visited by flavour-seeking travellers, are one more reason to acquaint oneself with a territory so rich in oeno-gastronomic resources and are also located in an agro-industrial district.

Aglianico del Vulture Doc is made purely from Aglianico grapes.

The «Rosso», with its minimum 11.5 degrees of alcohol content, cannot be drunk before the 1st of November of the year following its grape production and it is usually refined for at least one year in wooden barrels.

The Aglianico del Vulture Doc wines that are left to age longer and that have a higher alcohol content, reaching

Consorzio di tutela Vino Aglianico del Vulture President: Teodoro Palermo c/o Cantina di Venosa S.c.ar.l.

Via Appia - C.da Vignali - Venosa (PZ) Tel. +39 0972 36702 - Fax +39 0972 35891 info@cantinadivenosa.it

to promote and sell this wine, on a National scale Aglianico del Vulture Doc is still the most famous and popular wine in Basilicata.

And, on reflection, the Lucanian territory certainly owes its fame to this product, which inspired the book «Controversial history of the unstoppable fortune of Aglianico wine in the world » by Potenza-born writer Gaetano Cappelli.

a minimum 12 degrees, can be labelled «Vecchio» (three years aging, two of which in wood) and «Riserva» (five years aging, two of which in wood).

There is also a «Spumante» obtained from the musts or wines that conform to the indications in the denomination territory regulations.

There are 55 companies in the productive network of Aglianico enrolled in the tutelage consortium extending over 1,120 hectares listed in the Doc Register. 113 labels are produced yielding a total of 3,860,000 bottles a year.

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT The colour is ruby red with varied intensity or a lively garnet with orange hues after aging. The bouquet is winey with a delicate scent which improves with aging.

The taste is dry, pungent, fresh, harmonious, with the right tannins and tends to become velvety with age.

Consorzio di valorizzazione Aglianico del Vulture Doc «Qui Vulture» President: Gerardo Giuratrabocchetti c/o Cantine del Notaio Via Roma, 159 - Rionero in Vulture (PZ) Tel. + 39 0972 723689 - Fax +39 0972 725435 info@cantinedelnotaio.it

natural, typical, but above all lucanian

wines doc

TERRE DELL’Alta val d’agri DOC An aristocrat with enormous character

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Denomination

Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri Doc

Established by

Min. Dec. of 4-9-2003 (G.U. no. 214 of 15-9-2003)

Grape yield

100 q/ha

Max grape/wine yield

70%

Types

Red, Red Reserve, Rosé

Production area

Municipalities of Viggiano, Grumento Nova and Moliterno in the province of Potenza

Vines

For the Red and Red Reserve: Merlot (minimum 50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (minimum 30%) with the possibility of adding authorised vines in the province of Potenza (20%); for the Rosé: Merlot (minimum 50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (minimum 20%); Malvasia di Basilicata (minimum 10%) and other red and white, non-aromatic authorised grapes in the province of Potenza, to a maximum 20%

wines doc

A very favourable southern and sunny position on the Agri Valley hills and a perfect micro-climate with considerable temperature range from the month of August up to total ripening of the grapes in mid-to-end October, the cultivation of two international vines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot give this little valley

at the top of the Agri river’s course Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri Doc, a particularly balanced and structured wine, suitable for aging.

It was the second Lucanian wine to be awarded with the denomination of controlled origin trademark in 2003, after Aglianico del Vulture.

PRODUCTION

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT

History and archaeology, with the findings around ancient Grumentum, a III century BC Roman colony, prove that vines were cultivated and wine produced at that time.

Evidence lies in the kilns that were used to produce the amphora for wine transportation, dating back to the I and II century BC, and now safeguarded in the National Alta Val d’Agri Museum in Grumento Nova.

One of the many testimonies is the travelling historian Giuseppe Antonini’s description in «La Lucania» in 1747 of the Viggiano farmland, which he describes as «very well-cultivated, especially the vineyards which are so well-kept by the farmers that they are the envy of Tuscany». And, again in the Viggiano area, there is a town called «Vigne» about which a saying has been coined: «To get lost in the vineyards at Vigne». This country town, characterised by a dense maze of vine rows, is the location for a grape festival celebrated on the first Sunday of October, the day dedicated to the Madonna of Pompei and the time when the vines are lush and ready to yield their fruit.

When the Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri was presented for Doc in 2003, there was only one other denominated wine, uncontested for thirty-two years, in Basilicata - the «Doc Aglianico del Vulture» - and it was not easy to propose a new Lucanian wine candidate to the public at large.

However, its increase in production and market reaction in recent years have confirmed the character of Alta Val d’Agri wine.

The vines are cultivated on medium consistency soils at a maximum of 800 metres above sea level in the municipalities of Viggiano, Grumento Nova and Moliterno, which is the designated production area. The wine comes in three versions: «Rosso», for which the regulations require a minimum one year’s aging; «Rosso Riserva» which is aged for two years (of which at least 6 months in wood) and both wines must be refined in the bottle for 3 and 4 months respectively; and «Rosato» for which white Malvasia di Basilicata is also used. There are six member companies enrolled in the Doc Consortium and the production hectares registered are 14.5. Eight labels are produced at the moment for a total of about 80,000 bottles a year.

Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri Doc is ruby red in colour. To the nose it is velvety with an aristocratic tone. The consistency is good and it has a winey sweetness of blackberries. The aftertaste is elegant and intense.

Consorzio di tutela e valorizzazione del vino Doc Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri President: Francesco Pisani c/o AASD «Bosco Galdo» Via Grumentina, 118 - Villa d’Agri di Marsicovetere (PZ) Tel. +39 0975 352547- Fax +39 0975 352403 info@terredellaltavaldagri.it natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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wines doc

MATERA DOC The Greco, the Primitivo, the Bianco, the Moro...

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wines doc

Denomination

Matera Doc

Established by

Min. Dec. of 6-7-2005 (G.U. no. 163 of 15-7-2005)

Grape yield

100 q/ha

Max grape/wine yield

70%

Types

Red, Primitivo, Moro, Greco, White, Sparkling

Production area

All the municipalities in the province of Matera

Vines

For the Red: Sangiovese (60% minimum), Aglianico (minimum 10%), Primitivo (minimum 10%); for the Primitivo: Primitivo (minimum 90% and other authorised, non-aromatic red grapes); for the Moro: Cabernet Sauvignon (minimum 60%), Primitivo (minimum 20%), Merlot (minimum 10%) and other authorised, non-aromatic red grapes to a maximum of 10%; for the Greco: Greco Bianco (minimum 85%) and other authorised, non-aromatic white grapes to a maximum of 15%; for the Bianco: White Malvasia di Basilicata (minimum 70%), Greco Bianco (minimum 10%) and other authorised, non-aromatic white grapes to a maximum of 20%; for Spumante (classical method): White Malvasia di Basilicata (minimum 70%), Greco Bianco (minimum 10%) and other authorised, non-aromatic white grapes to a maximum of 20%

This is the most recent denomination of origin in Basilicata, recognised in July 2005 and authorised for sale since 2007. Since then this wine has been progressively asserting itself on the markets outside

PRODUCTION The land in the province of Matera has a great and ancient winemaking tradition whose roots delves down into the Magna Grecia age, as achaeo-botanical studies in the Metaponto area have proved on finding the woody remains of plants and vines dating back to the IV century BC. Furthermore, it is precisely this area that the Greeks named Enotria, i.e. the «land of wine».

Other evidence goes back to 1700. A report sent to Carlo III of Bourbon listed the places where good wine was produced: Matera, Montescaglioso, Ferrandina, Irsina, Miglionico, Tricarico, Tursi, Pisticci, Pomarico, to name but a few. Not to speak of the existence of the large number of cellars in the Sassi quarters in Matera: the Registry Office of Cultural and Environmental Assets lists 96 of which 53 in the Casalnuovo del Sasso Caveoso quarter, dug out by Serbo-Croatian groups in the XV century.

Nowadays the vineyards are planted on the right soil for producing quality wines. The regulations oblige the producer to carry out wine-making and bottling processes within the production area. Matera Doc wines can only be put on sale after one year’s aging, with a compulsory 3 months’ refinement in the bottle. Matera Doc sparkling wine is obtained by re-fermenting in the bottle (classical method). There are 9 companies enrolled in the tutelage

the region, favoured as it is by a world-famous name, «Matera», which brings to mind the richly cultural, historic and naturalist heritage linked to the City of Sassi, a Unesco World Heritage location.

Consortium, while the number of hectares registered is 58.72. There are 8 labels producing a total of 300,000 bottles a year.

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT Matera doc made its debut on the international wine scene at Vinitaly 2008, where Matera Greco Le Paglie, the first Basilicata denomination of controlled origin, was officially presented. The Greco is only one of 6 types of Matera doc wine: besides the Rosso, the Primitivo and the Bianco, there is also the Moro, with its intensely ruby red colour, its persistent perfume and dry, full and harmonious taste that tends on velvety. The minimum alcohol content is 12%. Particularly prestigious is the sparkling wine obtained from the same grapes as Matera Bianco - Malvasia di Basilicata and Greco - and produced with the classical method by re-fermenting in the bottle.

The sparkling wine has a fine and persistent foam, is straw-coloured with a pleasant and fruity bouquet. The minimum alcohol content is 12.5%.

Consorzio di tutela Vini Matera Doc President: Michele Dragone Via Lucana, 23 - Matera - Tel. +39 0835 256344 info@doc.matera.it - www.doc.matera.it

natural, typical, but above all lucanian

13

wines IGT

BASILICATA IGT The region’s common denominator wine

14

wines IGT

Denomination

Basilicata Igt

Established by

Min. Dec. of 3-11-1995 (G.U. no. 267 of 15-11-1995)

Grape yield

170 q/ha cultivated with awnings

Max grape/wine yield

75%; 50% for Passito

Types

White (also sparkling), Red (also sparkling and Novello), Rosé (also sparkling) and Passito

Production area

The provinces of Matera and Potenza

Vines

Recommended and/or authorised vines in the two provinces; specification of one of the recommended and/or authorised vines, excluding Aglianico and Montepulciano, for the relative provinces, is only necessary for wines obtained from grapes grown in vineyards containing, on a company basis, at least 85% of the correct vines

Small companies that totally maintain their link with the land by cultivating vineyards with a deep passion for wine producing, make good quality and widely popular

PRODUCTION The “Repertorio Vini della Basilicata 2007 (an official Regional publication) reports that 122 of the 282 labels assessed are Basilicata Igt (representing 43.2% of the total number), just slightly more than Aglianico del Vulture Doc (113 labels, equalling 40%). This fact can be explained by the fact that the larger Igt area overlaps into the Aglianico del Vulture zone. Many Lucanian wines bearing the Igt mark are, in fact, produced in the Doc areas even though they are made with a variety of high quality grapes that the Doc wines do not include. Thus their grapes are grown in the area or the resulting wine includes a variety in the Doc blend but they are processed in a different way to that stated in the denomination of origin regulations.

When talking about Basilicata Igt, one area, the «Matera Hills», which has historically and traditionally always been an area known for producing particularly prestigious wines and where the main vine is the “Primitivo di

wines. The common denominator wine is Basilicata Igt which includes the whole regional territory.

Matera”, should be mentioned. Other vines common to the area are Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Merlot, Cabernet and those producing white grapes, white Malvasia di Basilicata and Greco.

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT There are 6 types of wine, approved in 1995, with the Igt Basilicata label: Bianco, Rosso, Rosato, Frizzante, Novello and Passito. It is hard to describe them in the same way because they are each made with different grape varieties - those recommended and/or authorised for the provinces of Potenza and Matera - and each product takes on the main characteristics of its own particular area, respecting the history and tradition.

The minimum alcohol content for the white wines must be 10.5% and 11% for the rosé and red wines.

Passito, however, is produced from aromatic grapes which are left to dry out slightly either on the vine or on racks.

natural, typical, but above all lucanian

15

wines IGT

GROTTINO DI ROCCANOVA IGT The sandstone «hole» wine

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Denomination

Grottino di Roccanova Igt

Established by

Min. Dec. of 14-3-2000 (G.U. no. 78 of 3-4-2000)

Grape yield

100 q/ha

Max grape/wine yield

75%

Types

Red (also Novello), Rosé (also sparkling and sweet), white (also sparkling, sweet) and Passito

Production area

Municipalities of Roccanova, Castronuovo Sant’Andrea, Sant’Arcangelo in the province of Potenza

Vines

The wines must be obtained from one or more recommended and/or authorised vines for the province of Potenza. The most commonly used: Sangiovese, Barbera, red and white Malvasia di Basilicata, Trebbiano and Moscato

wines IGT

The variability and richness of the authorised grapes, enhanced by the climate of the Middle Agri Valley hills, find their culmination in the wine they produce as it is left to age in the sandstone caves, a typical feature of this area, and where the taste and colour of this prestigious wine mature and are constantly safeguarded.

This is the secret of Grottino di Roccanova Igt, which owes its name to the century-old tradition of aging the wine in caves where its characteristics remain unaltered.

The caves are underground passages dug into the sandstone «holes» underneath the town. Some date back to 1700 and there are more than 300.

PRODUCTION

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT

Wine-making in this area probably goes back to the Grecian Age (III-IV century BC), when the Greeks introduced vine cultivation to their various settlements, as demonstrated by numerous archaeological findings now on display in the Metaponto and Policoro Museums. And it may well be that the wonderful and curative «Bagarini» wines mentioned by Plinio the Old in his «Naturalis Historia», which were made not far from Grumentum, actually refer to the Roccanova area.

Even now, every 8th December, the day dedicated to Madonna Immaculate, Roccanova holds its wine festival and celebrates the Madonna «Spertusavotte». It is a traditional festival where the wine is decanted for the first time and the caves are blessed.

Characteristic cave-cellars, dug out directly into the tuff walls. Some date back to 1700 and many wine producers are proud to show them off. They are often used as a meeting place where, more than anywhere else, bonds of friendship can be strengthened.

To crown this tradition and due to the quality perfected over the years, Grottino di Roccanova was awarded with the typical geographical indication mark (Igt) in 2000.

The production area includes the municipalities of Roccanova, Castronuovo di S. Andrea and Sant’Arcangelo, with a total surface area of 21.3 registered hectares in a zone that may be defined as medium to high hill with an altitude that varies from 400 to 750 metres above sea level. The climate is typical of inland Basilicata with very cold winters and hot, dry summers and rainfall mainly in the spring and autumn.

The land is very fertile and sunny and thus produces grapes with unique aromas and characteristics.

The most commonly used grape varieties are: Sangiovese, Barbera, red and white Malvasia di Basilicata, Trebbiano and Moscato; the vines are trained on low espaliers or sapling-shaped.

There are 14 labels to date, mostly family-run and small businesses, producing 163,000 bottles per year.

The tutelage Consortium was set up in September 2008 with 5 member companies so far.

The wine generally does not exceed 13 degrees of alcohol content and should be served at a temperature of 18 °C. It is ruby red in colour, becoming more intense on aging, with a slight hint of violet. The scent brings to mind small fruit and the taste is dry, soft and slightly tannic.

Consorzio di tutela per la valorizzazione del Grottino di Roccanova Igt President: Vincenzo Petruzzelli c/o Municipio di Roccanova Piazza del Popolo - Roccanova (PZ) Tel. +39 348 0053915 consorziogrottino@libero.it natural, typical, but above all lucanian

17

DOP

pecorino di filiano dop From the lush pastures of officinal grass and water

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DOP

Denomination

Pecorino di Filiano Dop

Established by

EC Reg. no. 1485 of 14-12-2007 (GUCE L. 330 of 15-12-2007)

Characteristics

A hard cheese made with full cream sheep’s milk

Production area

Atella, Avigliano, Balvano, Baragiano, Barile, Bella, Cancellara, Castelgrande, Filiano, Forenza, Ginestra, Maschito, Melfi, Muro Lucano, Pescopagano, Picerno, Pietragalla, Pignola, Potenza, Rapolla, Rapone, Rionero in Vulture, Ripacandida, Ruoti, Ruvo del Monte, San Fele, Savoia di Lucania, Tito, Vaglio di Basilicata, Vietri di Potenza in the province of Potenza

Pecorino di Filiano Dop was the first entirely Lucanian regional agro-food product to have been awarded the denomination of protected origin trademark. It is a hard cheese made with the full cream milk of the following

sheep breeds: Gentile di Puglia and di Lucania, Leccese, Comisana, Sarda and their crossbreeds. It is made in thirty municipalities in an area that extends from Vulture to the Melandro zone.

PRODUCTION

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT

In the “Pecorino di Filiano Dop” production area, the cheese makers still use, as the regulation decrees, traditional tools like the «scuopolo» (a wooden ladle) to break up the curd and the «fuscedd» (baskets), the characteristic cane cheese moulds.

Proof of the deep-rooted activity of sheep rearing and the large number of animals in the area in the past can be seen by the fact that the name of the town from which this cheese derives, i.e. Filiano, comes from the abundance of spun wool.

There were also the farms belonging to the noble Doria family that were organised in 1600 into real businesses.

In the Melfi area, there were farm complexes that specialized in sheep, pig, cow and cow buffalo breeding.

The company registers, safeguarded in the Potenza State Archives, record the consistency of this animal farming patrimony, especially sheep farming, which alone counted for more than 10,000 head. The entire economy of the area was therefore alive with establishments for processing milk and wool.

The Doria family flocks went from the farms on the Ofanto Plain, where they spent the winter months, to the high slopes of the Vitalba Valley in the summer.

It was here, in the months of June and July, that the cheese-making rite took place, especially Pecorino, whose quality is due to the excellence of the lush, officinal grass pastures containing oregano, thyme and wild fennel as well as the goodness of the water that flows from the volcanic layers of Mount Vulture, full of mineral salts.

There are 11 certified companies: 3 processing ones and 8 breeders, making up the Pecorino di Filiano Dop tutelage Consortium, but there is good potential for further production.

The flavour of Pecorino di Filiano Dop is initially sweet and delicate with the right amount of strength when it is mature, It has a typical smell and aroma.

It is mainly produced by family-run businesses following the traditional cheese-making methods that have been handed down from generation to generation in respect of local products linked to the land from which they come.

Pecorino di Filiano is cylinder-shaped and smooth, with a flat or slightly convex base. It weighs between 2.5 and 5 kg. Seasoning lasts 180 days.

Consorzio di Tutela del Pecorino di Filiano Dop President: Luigi Zucale Corso Giovanni XXIII - Filiano (PZ) Tel. e fax +39 0971 808757 info@pecorinodifiliano.it www.pecorinodifiliano.it natural, typical, but above all lucanian

19

dop

caciocavallo silano dop A lively delicacy

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dop

Denomination

Caciocavallo Silano Dop

Established by

EC Reg. no. 1263 of 1-7-1996 (GUCE L. 163 of 2-7-1996) and EC Reg. no. 1204 of 4-7-2003

Characteristics

A semi-hard cheese of spun curd made from full cream cow’s milk

Production area

Province of Matera: Accettura, Bernalda, Calciano, Cirigliano, Ferrandina, Garaguso, Gorgoglione, Irsina, Matera, Montescaglioso, Oliveto Lucano, Pisticci, Policoro, Pomarico, Rotondella, Salandra, Scanzano Jonico, San Giorgio Lucano, San Mauro Forte, Stigliano, Tricarico, Tursi Province of Potenza: Abriola, Acerenza, Albano di Lucania, Anzi, Atella, Avigliano, Balvano, Banzi, Baragiano, Bella, Brienza, Brindisi di Montagna, Calvello, Castelgrande, Castelsaraceno, Corleto Perticara, Filiano, Forenza, Genzano di Lucania, Grumento Nova, Lagonegro, Laurenzana, Lauria, Lavello, Maratea, Marsiconuovo, Marsicovetere, Melfi, Moliterno, Montemilone, Muro Lucano, Oppido Lucano, Palazzo San Gervasio, Paterno, Pescopagano, Picerno, Pietrapertosa, Pignola, Potenza, Rapone, Rionero, Ruoti, Ruvo del Monte, San Fele, Sant’Arcangelo, Tito, Tolve, Tramutola, Trecchina, Vaglio di Basilicata, Venosa, Viggiano

Although the name refers to a geographical area of Calabria, Caciocavallo Silano is one of the products that is mostly associated with Basilicata.

It is, in fact, an inter-regional Dop, established in 1993, with a production area - in terms of both milk

PRODUCTION Historical references that prove the importance of this product date back to Hippocrates who, as far back as 500 BC, described the cheese-making technique used by the Greeks. Moreover, Plinio, one of the Latin authors, emphasized the quality of «butirro», considered an ancestor of Caciocavallo, which the historian described as a «very delicate food».

Caciocavallo Silano Dop is a semi-hard cheese of spun curd exclusively made from full cream cow’s milk. The milk can be heated to 58°C, as long as this information is included on the label. It is then curdled at a temperature of 36-38°C, using veal or kid rennet.

When the cheese has acquired the right consistency, it is broken up until walnut-sized lumps are formed.

Once the cheese reaches the spinning state, then the characteristic operation begins and a kind of cheese cord is worked until the desired shape is obtained.

Modelled in this way, the form is sealed at the top by plunging it quickly into 80-85°C hot water and finishing

and cheese - in various municipalities of Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia and Basilicata.

There are fifty-two Lucanian communities included in the Caciocavallo Silano territory spreading over both provinces.

off by hand. The cheeses are then firstly immersed in cold water for cooling, then in brine and are later tied in pairs and hung on poles to mature for a minimum 30 days.

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT The cheese is oval or conically long in shape, either with or without a head, depending on the local tradition. The weight varies from between 1 to 2.5 kg. The rind is thin, smooth and straw-coloured.

The flavour is aromatic, pleasant and delicate, tending on sweet when the cheese is young but becoming stronger with age.

There are many food combinations, depending on the strength. Cut into cubes, it can be used to flavour pasta dishes served with vegetable sauces or cold pasta salads.

In medium-thick slices it can be bread-crumbed to make delicious medallions.

Mature Caciocavallo Silano also goes extremely well with honey and full-bodied red wines or passito.

Consorzio di tutela Formaggio Caciocavallo Silano Via Forgitelle - Camigliatello Silano (CS) Tel. e fax +39 0984 570832 www.caciocavallosilano.net

natural, typical, but above all lucanian

21

IGP

SARCONI BEANS IGP Oval or round: always tender and delicate

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IGP

Denomination

Fagioli di Sarconi Igp

Established by

EC Reg. no. 1263 of 1-7-1996 (GUCE L. 163 of 2-7-1996)

Production area

Sarconi, Grumento Nova, Marsiconuovo, Marsicovetere, Moliterno, Montemurro, Paterno, San Martino d’Agri, Spinoso, Tramutola, Viggiano, the entire province of Potenza

Varieties

Local ecotypes of cannellino and borlotto beans (fasuli russi, tovagliedde rampicanti, verdolini, napulitanu vasciu, napulitanu avuti, ciuoti or regina, tabacchino, munachedda, nasieddo, maruchedda, San Michele, muruseddu, truchisch, cannellino rampicante)

Their secret lies in the water. The quality of “Fagioli di Sarconi Igp” is due to the low summer temperatures and the coolness of the irrigation water which allow the beans to maintain their high sugar content and give them their typical sweetness. At Sarconi, a small town in Alta Val d’Agri, only small plots were cultivated in the past, just enough for local requirements and the farmers used the traditional irrigation method of “running water”. Only by adopting the “rainfall” system

PRODUCTION The beans also existed in the past among the Greeks and Romans who were used to eating them but did not consider them a delicacy. Virgilio, for example, called them «vilem phaseulum» because they could be found in abundance.

In Apicio’s recipe book, the beans were mentioned in starters or as an accompaniment to spicy sauces.

During the Middle Ages, due to their easy cultivation and considerable nutritional value, they became a food for the people, the so-called “poor man’s bread”.

The origin of the bean’s cultivation in the Valle dell’Agri is uncertain, even if a definite link between the bean and the land has been widely documented since 1700.

On the other hand, the uniqueness of this crop is the final result of a combination of a series of natural elements: the climate, the quality of the irrigation water (light and not very alkaline) and the soil, which is alluvial, sandy, rich in nitrogen and without limestone.

The borlotto and white cannellino beans are the most widespread varieties even if the traditional Sarconi, the so-called «ciuoto»; verdolini, tabacchini, monachedde and tovaglielle are some of the other ecotypes produced, wonderful to taste but also extraordinary to see with their different shapes and particular colouring (more than twenty varieties are known).

were they able to improve and increase production with continual success until the vegetable was awarded the protected geographical indication - together with Senise Peppers - in 1996. The beans are grown at an altitude of over 600 metres and are sown between April and July. The “Fagiolo di Sarconi Igp” has a further connection with water, as it is traditionally cooked in its “first water”, i.e. without any initial soaking, and therefore very quickly, making them soft and tasty.

This land-product union was consolidated over time and, in 1981, one of the most famous Lucanian festivals dedicated to the Fagiolo di Sarconi Igp came into being.

Every year, in the second half of August, the beans are proposed as an ingredient in some of the most unusual combinations, from first courses to ice cream, from pizza to jam.

It is here that visitors can enjoy a tour that winds through the narrow streets of the town where refreshment points are furbished in collaboration with the best restaurateurs of the Valley.

There a 41 producers and 4 packaging companies enrolled in the tutelage Consortium and there are 24 certified companies extending over a surface area of 42 hectares.

HOW TO RECOGNISE THEM Sarconi Igp beans are oval or rounded in shape and have a tender pulp which makes them particularly easy to digest.

They are produced in 19 local ecotypes of borlotto and cannellino beans with a light colour that varies from pale yellow to white but they can also have dark stripes. The beans are sold dried in packets of 250 and 500 grams, each bearing the Consortium trademark.

Consorzio di tutela dei Fagioli di Sarconi Igp President: Terenzio Bove Piazza Aldo Moro, 1 - Sarconi (PZ) Tel. +39 0975 354488 - Fax +39 0975 354432

natural, typical, but above all lucanian

23

IGP

senise peppers igp The crunchy delicacies with so much flavour

Denomination

Peperoni di Senise Igp

Established by

EC Reg. no. of 1-7-1996 (GUCE L. 163 of 2-7-1996)

Production area

In the province of Potenza: Chiaromonte, Francavilla, Noepoli, Roccanova, Sant’Arcangelo, Senise; in the province of Matera: Colobraro, Craco, Montalbano Jonico, San Giorgio Lucano, Tursi, Valsinni

Varieties

Elongated, hooked, pointed ecotypes

This speciality can be found in the provinces of Potenza and Matera, between the Sinni and Agri rivers. In this area of central-south Basilicata, the “Peperoni di Senise Igp”, like a beating heart, light a red fire on the balconies of the white houses of the villages during the drying period.

Tradition merrily brings the town of Senise to life with «U Srittul ru Zafaran», or pepper alley, where «Zafaran» is the name given to these crunchy peppers or «cruschi», served, for example, with fried stockfish.

24

But «U Srittul ru Zafaran» is also a well-known festival that takes place in mid August, at the same time as the festival of San Rocco, to promote both the Igp peppers and the old town of Senise. On this occasion the narrow streets are adorned with traditional «serte», garlands of peppers hung on the balconies, while the squares are festooned with tables laden with all the typical products of the area. And of course this typical pepper can be tasted in all ways and manners, even in ice cream.

IGP

Consorzio per la tutela dei Peperoni di Senise Igp President: Antonio Gazzaneo Corso Garibaldi, 283 - Senise (PZ) Tel. e fax +39 0973 585733

PRODUCTION

a quick roasting in the oven. There are 4 companies that

History has it that peppers arrived in Senise between

produce the certified Peperone di Senise Igp and 3 that

1500 and 1600, and since then the local farmers

process them.

experimented and selected the variety that is grown today. Besides drying them, these peppers are also

HOW TO RECOGNISE THEM

ground to a powder.

Senise Igp peppers are either pointed, hooked or

This is where the dialect word «zafaran» comes from,

elongated, depending on the type. They are initially

as it then resembles the highly valuable saffron powder.

green and then dark red and quite small. The pulp is

“Peperone di Senise Igp” is planted in February/March

thin and the stalk does not come off during drying.

and is ripe for picking in July.

They are sweet to the taste. Many traditional country

The varieties produced are local ecotypes and are high in

dishes are made with Senise peppers: cooked in boiling

salt and vitamin C content but have a low concentration

oil and salted, they are called «cruschi», i.e. crunchies,

of water. It is sold freshly picked, dried or in powder.

and are served with cheese and fresh vegetables, like

Drying takes place following the traditional method by

broad beans or salad or stockfish.

exposing the peppers to the sun.

They can also be used as tasty and innovative appetisers.

They are strung in long «garlands» and hung in a sunny

The powder, however, enhances the preparation of many

and airy place. To eliminate any leftover humidity and to

Lucanian salamis giving them flavour, colour and easy

make grinding to a powder easier, the peppers undergo

seasoning. natural, typical, but above all lucanian

25

IGP

MATERA BREAD IGP A youth with the heart of an old man

26

Denomination

Pane di Matera Igp

Established by

EC Reg. no. 160 of 21-2-2008 (GUCE L. 48/28 of 22-2-2008)

Characteristics

20% of the wheat must be local ecotypes and old varieties like Senatore Cappelli, Duro Lucano, Capeiti, Appulo, grown in the area in the province of Matera

Production area

Throughout the province of Matera

IGP

“Pane di Matera Igp” is chronologically the latest Lucanian branded product and therefore the last to have completed the certification process in February 2008.

The names of the first 5 certified bakeries were only made public last October.

And yet, the history of Matera bread dates right back to XVI-XVII centuries. Since then legend and folk tales have proved just how much cereal cultivation, and therefore also bread-making, has played a central role in the Matera area.

Among the elements of craftsmanship linked to bread production in Matera, for example, are the «timbri», little wooden statues carved by shepherds as they moved their flocks from pasture to pasture which were used to «brand» the bread shapes before baking so that they would know which was which when they were done.

They bore the initials of the head of the family on the bottom and usually depicted people or animals (men, women, roosters, hens, cats, dogs etc.). Nowadays they are collector’s items.

PRODUCTION

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT

One of the reasons why “Pane di Matera” is one of the

A loaf of Pane di Matera Igp is a characteristic horn or

only four breads to carry the European Community brand

tall shape weighing 1 or 2 kilograms. The crust must

in Italy, is the way it is made.

be at least 3 mm thick. The soft part is a pale yellow in

The regulations explain, for example, how the mother

colour and has typical holes and the humidity must not

yeast must be prepared with the pulp of fresh, ripe fruit

be more than 33%.

before being soaked in water, a precaution that ensures

Matera bread has many good points. Not only is it

that the yeasts used come from the production area.

delicious, it is also easy to digest and keeps for several

Furthermore, it is stated that only local wood must be

days. Moreover, it has given rise to a traditional recipe

used for cooking because it enhances the product’s

known as the «cialledda», an original and tasty soup

characteristic smell.

made of stale bread and flavoured with extra virgin olive

As for the wheat, at least 20% must come from local

oil, tomatoes, garlic, onion, salt, oregano and any variety

ecotypes and old varieties like Senatore Cappelli, Duro

of local greens.

Lucano, Capeiti and Appulo, grown in the production area, i.e. the province of Matera.

In order to improve the quality and make further consolidate its link with the territory, other flour compositions are being experimented: a minimum 20% of the Senatore Cappelli variety with the rest coming from varieties cultivated on the Matera Hills.

Lastly, recent reports show how “Pane di Matera Igp is also a «virtuous» product because - given the continual increase in the cost of baked goods (bread and pasta) due to wholesale grain price increases, the Basilicata Region, Confcommerio and Confesercenti in the province of Matera have set the price from a minimum of Euro 1.40 to a maximum of Euro 2.20 a kilogram. This initiative was met with approval by Luca Zaia, the Minister of Agriculture.

Associazione per la Promozione e valorizzazione del Pane di Matera President: Massimo Cifarelli Via XX Settembre, 25 - Matera Tel. +39 0835 385630 - Fax +39 0835 383099 natural, typical, but above all lucanian

27

dop (temporary protection)

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL FROM «VULTURE» DOP The extinct volcano’s gold

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Denomination

Olio extravergine di oliva del Vulture Dop (temporary protection)

Established by

Min. Dec. of 25-3-2005 (G.U. no. 78 of 5-4-2005)

Production area

Atella, Barile, Ginestra, Maschito, Melfi, Rapolla, Rionero in Vulture, Ripacandida, Venosa in the province of Potenza

Varieties

Ogliarola del Vulture (70%), the remaining 30% made up of Coratina, Cima di Melfi, Palmarola, Provenzale, Leccino, Frantoio, Cannellino and Rotondella varieties, used either alone or together

dop (temporary protection)

In the “Olio extravergine di oliva del Vulture Dop” production area there are two Oil Cities just a few kilometres from each other: Barile and Rapolla. It is

the a tangible, centuries-old yet modern tradition that distinguishes these places and brings them to life from an economic point of view.

PRODUCTION Extra virgin oil from Vulture takes its singular quality from a particular environmental and agronomic union the production area’s climatic conditions and volcanic soil. The areas given over to olive tree cultivation, which extend over the foothills of Mount Vulture, an old, extinct volcano, are almost all sloping and reach the tree-line where, due to the altitude and climatic conditions, the tree still manages to survive.

Under these conditions the Vulture olive growers and oil millers have known for centuries how to adapt oil production to conform to the earth and have thus found the right cultivation techniques.

“Olio extravergine del Vulture Dop” is the product of olives presses and processed in 9 Vulture municipalities.

The varieties used are 70% Ogliarola, particularly Ogliarola del Vulture, and the remaining 30% is Coratina,

Cima di Melfi, Palmarola, Provenzale, Leccino, Frantoio, Cannellino and Rotondella, either used on their own or together.

The oil must also be bottled in the Vulture area to guarantee its control and traceability and so as not to alter the quality of the product.

Only mechanical and physical processes can be used for milling and extraction. The oil must be kept in the production area in dimly lit rooms at a temperature of between 18 and 10°C.

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT Olio extravergine del Vulture Dop has a clear, amberyellow colour with green hues. Its bouquet is quite fruity with a hint of tomato.

The taste is of ripened olives and is sweetly almondy. It is slightly bitter with a spicy touch.

Consorzio di tutela Olio extravergine d’oliva «Vulture» c/o Oleificio Cooperativo Rapolla Fiorente President: Giovanni Grimolizzi Zona Industriale - Rapolla (PZ) Tel. e fax +39 0972 760200 rapolla63@libero.it

natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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dop (temporary protection)

ROTONDA white BEANS DOP The white beans with the «Garibaldi» spirit

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dop (temporary protection)

Denomination

Fagioli Bianchi di Rotonda Dop (temporary protection)

Established by

Min. Dec. of 2-4-2008 (G.U. no. 89 of 15-4-2008)

Production area

Castelluccio Inferiore, Castelluccio Superiore, Rotonda, Viggianello in the province of Potenza

Variety

Fagiolo Bianco and Tondino Bianco (or Poverello Bianco)

Four characteristic towns on the slopes of the Pollino, in the largest protected Park in Italy, contend a kind of record - to have proposed and contemporarily obtained

PRODUCTION Castelluccio Inferiore, Castelluccio Superiore, Rotonda and Viggianello, the towns in the Mercure Valley - already an area that produces the Red Rotonda Aubergine – make up the chosen territory of the Rotonda White Bean, where seven companies work under the Dop certification banner.

There are 2 local ecotypes for the “Fagioli Bianchi di Rotonda Dop”: the Fagiolo Bianco and the Tondino Bianco (also known as «poverello»).

The main characteristics of Rotonda Dop beans, which make their quality so renowned, are their high protein content (which reaches 27% of the dried substance); their low percentage of skin in respect to their total weight, which is much appreciated by consumers because it drastically reduces cooking times that, if longer, would alter the flavour; and, lastly, their unmarked, plain colour. These characteristics are enhanced by the particular climatic conditions of the area which unite mild temperatures and abundant rainfall from October to May and alluvial, sandy and limey-clay soils that are cool, deep and fertile with good water retention.

White bean production must not exceed 13 tons per hectare, corresponding to 3 tons of dried beans. The pods are strictly handpicked from the beginning of August to October. They are sold both fresh and dried.

History has it that even Giuseppe Garibaldi was a great admirer of Fagioli Bianchi di Rotonda Dop.

the national temporary protection Dop trademark for two local products: the Rotonda Bean Dop and the Rotonda Aubergine Dop.

On 2nd September 1860, the journal «L’Eco di Basilicata Calabria Campania» reported that, on his return to Sicily, the “Hero of the Two Worlds” stopped at Rotonda to sleep and eat.

He ate white beans and was so pleasantly struck by them that he decided to take some to sow at Caprera.

Since then, these white beans have been a fundamental expression of market gardening in the Pollino mountain area.

HOW TO RECOGNISE THEM Rotonda Dop Beans are white, plain and high in protein with a low percentage of skin in respect of their total weight. This feature considerably reduces their cooking time.

Among the old traditional recipes of the production area are: prickly lettuce and white beans; cabbage and white beans; potatoes, beans and pasta soup; beans and rind (pork); lagane and beans.

Nowadays these dishes, although still eaten in the home, are successfully served in restaurants, farmstays and at local festivals.

Some worth a mention are the Festival of the Fagiolo Bianco di Rotonda Dop, which for almost thirty years has been held annually in August and which sees thousands of people visiting the town, which just goes to prove the strong connection that exists between this product and the land in which it is cultivated.

Comitato promotore per il riconoscimento della Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda Dop e dei Fagioli Bianchi di Rotonda Dop President: Giuseppina De Marco c/o AASD Pollino Contrada Incoronata - Rotonda (PZ) Tel. +39 0973 667545 - Fax +39 0973 667621 azienda.pollino@alsia.it natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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dop (temporary protection)

THE RED ROTONDA AUBERGINE DOP Original by nature

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Denomination

Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda Dop (temporary protection)

Established by

Min. Dec. of 2-4-2008 (G.U. no. 90 of 16-4-2008)

Production area

Castelluccio Inferiore, Castelluccio Superiore, Rotonda, Viggianello in the province of Potenza

dop (temporary protection)

PRODUCTION In 1992 this aubergine was scientifically classified to Rotonda during periodical exploration missions and germoplasm collected by the C.N.R. in Bari.

Local farmers used to grow it mainly for their own needs but nowadays, thanks to the denomination of protected origin (Dop) award, its cultivation is undergoing a new era.

The soil in which it grows is originally alluvial, sandy, cool, deep and fertile with good water retention. The climate, mainly mild in the summer months when the average temperature reaches between 20-22°C and the innumerable fresh-water springs and streams of the Mercure tributaries make irrigation possible and guarantee the ideal conditions for growing the “Melanzana Rossa”, the only one in Italy bearing the Dop trademark.

It has also borne the Slow Food Guarantee since 2000 as an example of a biodiversity to be protected and preserved.

The seedlings are planted in May and the first aubergines are picked in August with continual production until the cold weather sets in.

The smallest aubergines, like tomatoes and peppers, are «insertate», i.e. tied in bunches and left to in the air to dry in special rooms and thus preserved.

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT This vegetable curiously looks similar in shape and colour to a tomato or a persimmon.

It is no coincidence that the Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda is known as the «aubergine tomato» (in dialect «merlingiana a pummadora») in the area due to its small size and round shape and its orange colour with green stripes, tending on red when ripe.

It smells a little like a prickly pear while to the taste, it is spicy with a bitterish aftertaste. It is eaten pickled or in oil as a starter or side dish but it can also be put to original use on pizza, in sweets or ice cream.

Another characteristic which distinguishes it from ordinary aubergines is that the pulp does not discolour on contact with air.

This variety is originally Ethiopian (Solanum aethiopicum) and only grows in the Mercure Valley in the Pollino National Park.

Some local ninety-year olds say that it was probably brought to Rotonda in Italy for the first time in 1800, by soldiers returning from the colonial wars.

Comitato promotore per il riconoscimento della Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda Dop e dei Fagioli Bianchi di Rotonda Dop President: Giuseppina De Marco c/o AASD Pollino Contrada Incoronata - Rotonda (PZ) Tel. +39 0973 667545 - Fax +39 0973 667621 azienda.pollino@alsia.it

natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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IGP (national temporary protection)

LARDER-SEASONED CANESTRATO DI MOLITERNO IGP Pecorino in fuscelle (baskets)

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IGP (national temporary protection)

Denomination

Canestrato di Moliterno Stagionato in Fondaco Igp (national temporary protection)

Established by

Min. Dec. of 21-5-2005 (G.U. no. 181 of 5-8-2005)

Characteristics

A hard cheese made from fresh, full cream sheep-goat’s milk

Breeds

Sheep: Gentile from Lucania and Puglia, Leccese, Sarda, Comisana and their crossbreeds. Goats: Garganica, Maltese, Ionica Camosciata and their crossbreeds

Production area

In the province of Potenza: Armento, Brienza, Calvello, Calvera, Carbone, Castelluccio Inferiore, Castelluccio Superiore, Castelsaraceno, Castronuovo Sant’Andrea, Cersosimo, Chiaromonte, Corleto Perticara, Episcopia, Fardella, Francavilla in Sinni, Gallicchio, Grumento Nova, Guardia Perticara, Lagonegro, Latronico, Lauria, Marsiconuovo, Marsicovetere, Missanello, Moliterno, Montemurro, Nemoli, Noepoli, Paterno, Rivello, Roccanova, Rotonda, San Chirico Raparo, San Costantino Albanese, San Martino d’Agri, San Paolo Albanese, San Severino Lucano, Sant’Arcangelo, Sarconi, Senise, Spinoso, Teana, Terranova del Pollino, Tramutola, Viggianello, Viggiano In the province of Matera: Accettura, Aliano, Bernalda, Craco, Cirigliano, Ferrandina, Gorgoglione, Montalbano Jonico, Montescaglioso, Pisticci, Pomarico, Scanzano Jonico, Stigliano, Tursi

If Canestrato di Moliterno were a story, it would start from the end or the last stage of the cheese-making process – the seasoning. Moliterno is a small town in the Val d’Agri, where the art of sheep and goat cheese seasoning has been perfected over the centuries in the characteristic rooms («fondaci») which give their name

PRODUCTION Pecorino cheese production has been the main activity for people from Moliterno since 1700. In 1800 the historian Racioppi declared that the name «Moliterno» originated from the root «mulcternum», i.e. «a place where milk is produced, where the flock is milked and the milk is hardened».

The milk with which Canestrato cheese is produced comes from the sheep and goats reared in 47 municipalities in the province of Potenza and 14 in the province of Matera - a vast area, rich in pastures, where the flocks find good grazing and where the knowledge of the shepherds goes back to the farming civilization of Magna Graecia.

Canestrato di Moliterno Igp is made from the fresh or warm full cream milk obtained during the hottest time of the year. The quantity of sheep’s milk must not be less than 70% and not more than 90%, while the amount of goat’s milk should be between 10% and 30%.

The cheese-making technique foresees that any excess milk not used for cheese within two hours is refrigerated and used within the next 48 hours.

The milk must be curdled at a temperature of between 36 and 40°C within 30 minutes of adding the sheep or goat rennet. The curd is broken up to obtain rice grain sized lumps.

to the only local diary-cheese product in Basilicata to have received, in 2005, its geographical indication (Igp). The “fondaco” is a very cool and well-aired room where many factors contribute to creating the ideal micro-climate that makes this product so unique and appreciated.

After a few minutes rest, the whey is extracted and placed into a cane basket (called «fuscella») which gives it the name of Canestrato. After placing the cheese in its mould, dry salting is carried out within 12-24 hours.

Drying takes a maximum of 15 days.

During seasoning, which lasts at least 30 days, the Pecorino is dried, cleaned and turned over and the surface can be oiled. Depending on the maturation period, the Canestrato cheese is classified as «primitive» (up to 6 months), «seasoned» (from 6 to 12 months), «extra» (more than 12 months).

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT A hard, smooth cheese, Canestrato di Moliterno Stagionato in Fondaco Igp is straw-coloured and has a strong and aromatic flavour, which becomes increasingly more intense as seasoning proceeds.

Consorzio di tutela del Pecorino Canestrato di Moliterno stagionato in fondaco President: Antonio Pugliese Via Roma - Moliterno (PZ) Tel. e fax +39 0975 668061 www.pecorinodimoliterno.com natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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dop application in progress

BAKED OLIVES FROM FERRANDINA A delicacy for all tastes

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Denomination

Oliva infornata di Ferrandina

Recognitions

Slow Food Guarantee; Dop from the Ministry has been applied for

Production area

In the province of Matera: Accettura, Aliano, Cirigliano, Ferrandina, Gorgoglione, Salandra, San Mauro Forte, Stigliano

Variety

Maiatica

dop application in progress

Baked olives from Ferrandina, already awarded the Slow Food Guarantee, undergo a particular and complex production technique, written evidence of which goes back to 1700. Nowadays nobody uses the wood ovens to cook the olives any more. These were discarded as of 1910 and gradually replaced by hot-

air dryers which initially came from Germany and were only later built in Naples following the German model.

This modernization allowed the local producers in a short time to establish business relations not only with the bordering regions but also with America where a great quantity of the baked olives are shipped.

PRODUCTION

HOW TO RECOGNISE THEM

The olives used to produce the “Oliva infornata di Ferrandina”, for which the Denomination of controlled origin has been requested, are of the Maiatica variety.

Olive trees grow on more than 80% of the arable surface of the Matera Hills and the most commonly grown variety is the Maiatica, which, in the clayey soils of the Basento valley finds favourable climatic conditions that give the extra virgin oil and the olives used for “baking” their organoleptic qualities. In particular, the Ferrandina area represents 20% of the total production in the province of Matera. Half of this is dried.

The Maiatica yields rather large olives with a small stone compared to the pulp mass. This characteristic is fundamental for baking which requires fully ripened, consistent and large-sized olives.

After picking, the olives are left to dry for one week on wooden shelves. They are then scorched in boiling water for a few minutes, then drained, salted and seasoned with oregano and wild fennel.

A few days later they are “baked”, i.e. cooked in dryers at a moderate temperature of about 50°C. Repeated twice, the cooking enhances the natural flavour of the olives and maintains the sweetness of the Maiatica variety.

Baked olives from Ferrandina are black and combine flavour and sweetness. They are preserved in terracotta containers and sold loose or packed. They can be eaten on their own or traditionally seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, obviously Maiatica, and raw pieces of garlic and grated orange and lemon rind. They go wonderfully well with cold meats and Lucanian cheeses, particularly mature pecorino, and are also very good in orange salad or with steamed stockfish.

EXTRAVIRGIN OLIVE OIL FROM MAIATICA The Maiatica olive is not only good for the table, it is also excellent for oil extraction and therefore has a double use. The olives of this variety are exclusive to this area: they cannot be found in the Mediterranean Basin or anywhere else in the world. The Denomination of protected origin for the oil made from this olive has been applied for with the inclusion of “Maiatica” in the brand title due to the exclusiveness of the area which allows for this exception (in fact, the name of the variety is not usually permitted). The regulations stipulate that extravirgin “Maiatica” olive oil Dop is made from the pressing of this variety to a proportion of 70% and that the remaining 30% comes from the Coratina, Augellina, Justa, Leccino, Frantoio and Ogliarola varieties, either singly or mixed. The oil is green in colour with yellow reflections; its fruity bouquet smells of olives with a light to medium hint of herbs. It is slightly bitter and spicy and these two characteristics are well-balanced.

The production area partially overlaps the Ferrandina baked olive zone and includes 15 municipalities (Accettura, Aliano, Calciano, Cirigliano, Craco, Ferrandina, Garaguso, Gorgoglione, Oliveto Lucano, Salandra, San Mauro Forte, Stigliano, in the province of Matera; Gallicchio, Missanello, Sant’Arcangelo in the province of Potenza).

Presidio Oliva infornata di Ferrandina c/o Gal Le Macine Referente: Angela Ciliberti Tel. +39 0835 675270 info@lemacine.com natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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IGP application in progress

THE MELFI CHESTNUT The new chestnut season

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IGP application in progress

Denomination

Application for the Marroncino di Melfi Igp trademark has been sent to the Ministry

Production area

Atella, Barile, Melfi, Rapolla, Rionero in Vulture in the province of Potenza

On 29th September, the festival dedicated to Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel, the farmers in the Vulture area used to organise a «settembrina» or «bianca» chestnut-picking session in the woods around the old extinct volcano.

This native chestnut is now known as “Marroncino di Melfi” and it is thought to have been introduced to the area either on the Saracen invasion or on Federico II of Swabia’s return from the Crusades.

PRODUCTION Chestnut s have always been an extremely important food source in the Vulture area. In times of famine, in fact, the chestnuts were left to dry in the sun and then ground into flour which the poorer farmers used instead of wheat to make pasta and bread («pane nero»).

Chestnut cultivation has undergone serious decline since the last war, not only because many young people have progressively abandoned agriculture and wood fruit picking, but also due to the devastating effect of chestnut tree bark cancer.

In recent years, however, containment of this disease and the increasing demand for products deriving from chestnuts, have allowed the sector to make a gradual recovery.

A further boost might come from the Marroncino di Melfi itself, a candidate for the protected geographical indication mark (Igp).

The municipalities principally involved in this European recognition are Melfi, Atella, Barile, Rapolla and Rionero in Vulture, covering a surface area of about 1,490

hectares, 900 of which are dedicated to chestnut trees.

The most thriving chestnut groves can be found around Melfi, along a strip of land that extends for several kilometres between the towns of «Il Nucelleto» and «Giumentari».

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT The Marroncino di Melfi is rounded, symmetrical, medium to big in size and a shiny brown colour with clear stripes.

And, due to its organoleptic characteristics and size, it is particularly in demand for the production of marronsglacés. It is picked in September and October.

The Marroncino di Melfi is also known as «varola», deriving from the local dialect word for the perforated pan used for roasting them and it is also the name of the oldest food and wine festival in Basilicata - the Varola Festival - which has been celebrated in Melfi since 1960.

At this event, held each year on the second to last Sunday in October, every kind of local product can be tasted, from bread to pasta, from cakes to ice cream, all strictly made with chestnuts.

Associazione dei produttori e trasformatori per la valorizzazione e tutela del Marroncino Melfi President: Antonio Ciola c/o Comune di Melfi Piazza Pasquale Festa Campanile - Melfi (PZ) Tel. +39 0972 251111 natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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IGP application in progress

lucanica di picerno The sausage that Italy loves

40

IGP application in progress

Denomination

Application for the Lucanica di Picerno Igp trademark has been sent to the Ministry

Production area

Avigliano, Balvano, Baragiano, Bella, Brienza, Castelgrande, Filiano, Muro Lucano, Pescopagano, Picerno, Rapone, Ruoti, Sasso di Castalda, San Fele, Sant’Angelo Le Fratte, Satriano di Lucania, Savoia di Lucania, Tito, Vietri di Potenza in the province of Potenza

Rich in pastures, oak and beech woods, the Marmo Platano Melandro area is the part of Basilicata that is best suitable for animal farming. One particular product originated here that was even spoken about back in Roman times: the Lucanica.

In the I century BC, Marco Terenzio Varrone, in his work «De Lingua Latina», describes this sausage as «a minced meat placed inside a gut which our soldiers have learned to make from the Lucanians».

In the same period Cicerone also spoke of it fondly, describing the ingredients that the Lucanians used to make «luganica». Apicio, in his treatise «De re coquinaria», listed the «seasonings» that, together

PRODUCTION

with «well-minced meat» and an «abundant amount of fat» filled «a long and very thin gut which was then hung to smoke».

Since then the term «Lucanica» has practically become synonymous of sausage, and yet, even if its very name should dispel any doubt, many places in North Italy have contested its paternity in Basilicata, a region that has always paid particular attention to pig breeding. Old sayings, poetry and many place names, which not only recall the close bond between animals, oak forests and traditions, but also between the pig as an irreplaceable source of food supplies, are proof of this.

the paunch, the tip of the fillet and minced ham and the

The Lucanica is produced in the mountain towns of

mixture is placed in natural pig gut.

Avigliano and Muro Lucano and, above all Melandro.

The main spice which gives this sausage its particular

The most representative focal point in terms of raw

flavour is wild fennel seeds, but other spices can be

and cooked meat production is Picerno, where a group

used like pepper and, in the hot version, chilli. It has a

of producers - with the aid of the Potenza Chamber of

characteristic «U» shape, weighs between 250 and 500

Commerce and Basilicata University - have recently set

grams and is from 40 to 70 centimetres long.

up the Lucanica di Picerno Consortium and have applied

Once made, the Lucanica undergoes a drying phase -

to the Ministry of Agriculture for the sausage to be

which lasts from 2 to 7 days - and it is then seasoned

awarded the Igp mark.

for at least 21 days. It can be sold loose (dried, in oil or

There are several objectives: to better place the product

in pork fat), vacuum-packed, whole, in strings or sliced.

on the global market; to monitor financing to promote the

All packing operations, including portioning, must be

product and the production area; to access modern and

carried out exclusively within the production area.

efficient distribution systems and to intensify advertising campaigns by participating at national and international

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT

fairs. The Lucanica is a sausage made from the meat of

The Lucanica is a sausage made with pieces of pork cut

pigs born, reared and slaughtered in Italy. They must

off with the knife tip, mixed with wild fennel seeds and

have the characteristics of the Italian heavy pig and

sweet, red, ground pepper.

weigh 160 kg and be no younger than 9 months old. The

The flavour is clean, pungent and, if chilli pepper has

best pork cuts are used including the de-boned shoulder,

been added, spicy hot.

Consorzio Lucanica di Picerno President: Giovanni Lettieri Piazza Plebiscito - Picerno (PZ) Tel. +39 0971 991003 - Fax +39 0971 991667

natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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territorial certification

CAULIFLOWER FROM THE OFANTO VALLEY The prince of local soups

Denomination

Collective trademark Cavolfiore della Valle dell’Ofanto, territorial certification

Production area

The municipalities along the Ofanto river including parts of the provinces of Potenza, Foggia and Bari. The communities in the province of Potenza are: Lavello, Melfi, Montemilone, Venosa

Cauliflowers had not been seen in the countryside of the Ofanto Valley on the border between Puglia and Vulture Alto-Bradano since the 1920s. The cultivation of this vegetable, in fact, had been abandoned because it

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required considerable manual labour and, at that time, it was difficult to reach the markets. Things have now changed. Cultivation of the Ofanto Valley Cauliflower is on the re-make.

territorial certification

Roman recipe books - and at the centre of farmhouse and gentile cooking since anyone can remember due to its versatility and nutritional values.

Nowadays it can be found on the markets for a good 8 months because its production calendar takes advantage of the differences that each variety has in development cycle times (from 70 to 230 days after planting, depending on the genetic characteristics).

According to the production regulations, the cauliflower varieties must be selected from those mainly cultivated in the Ofanto river area, the heads of which are entirely white or slightly yellow in colour.

Picking starts in October for the early crops and finishes in May for the later ones and must be done by hand.

At the moment cauliflower production is governed by a collective trademark and production regulations to which the growers must abide, and the aim is to apply to the Ministry of Agriculture for Igp recognition (protected geographical indication product). This would be a just award for a product that has played such an important role in the history of food and agriculture in Basilicata and one that is greatly demanded on the markets outside the region as well.

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT Cauliflower was very likely to be found in traditional Lucanian farmhouse cooking during the winter in soups and as a so-called «maritate» or side dish (due to its perfect ability to accompany various other ingredients); in the Avigliano area it went with Carchiola, an unleavened, corn flour bread, a kind of dry, “poor man’s bread”.

With a fried mixture of lard, garlic and chilli pepper, the cauliflower released its therapeutic qualities against winter ailments.

PRODUCTION “Cavolfiore della Valle dell’Ofanto” cultivation involves three provinces: one in Basilicata and two in Puglia. The area in Basilicata comprises four towns that are already well-known for other excellent products in the province of Potenza: Lavello, Melfi, Montemilone and Venosa.

Here the Ofanto Valley cauliflower has found the ideal soil and climatic conditions to yield high levels of quality and the professional skills of workers who have decided to join producer cooperatives and organisations. New strategies then, for an ancient activity - already noted in Apicio’s

Consorzio Mensa Sobria Via Giovanni Robbe, 67 - Lavello (PZ) Tel. e fax +39 0972 86377 info@mensasobria.com www.mensasobria.com natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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territorial certification

LUCANIAN HONEY Sweetness does its best (and more...)

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territorial certification

Denomination

Miele Lucano territorial certification

Production area

The whole region

Types

Wildflower, Orange, Chestnut, Eucalyptus

Never before as in recent years has European public opinion understood the extraordinary environmental importance of bees. Their absence, in fact, reflects the quality of the environment in which we live. The

biodiversity in Basilicata, characterised by an enormous variety of honey-producing and pollen-producing species, makes the region a tiny happy island that favours the plentiful production of wonderful honey.

PRODUCTION According to the 2006 figures of the honey production and market observatory, Basilicata is in tenth place in Italy.

In fact, the Lucanian bee sector counts 47,000 apiaries producing more than 5,000 quintals of honey for an economic value of Euro 660,000. The 500 companies on the regional register of bee-keepers continue an ancient tradition that contributes to the respect and protection of the environment and yield a food product that is much appreciated by several consumer groups.

Bee-keeping is a very old profession in the area, as some archaeological findings prove. The most famous discovery is the golden crown of Armento, which was part of Carolina Bonaparte’s collection and features a floral theme with bees buzzing through the branches.

The result of the untiring activity of bees in Basilicata can be seen in the Lucanian Honey Charter. Drawn up by the Consortium for the protection and development of Lucanian honey, it lists 15 different types: from acacia, citrus fruit and clover to the rarer ones like ivy and hawthorn. Wildflower, orange, chestnut and eucalyptus honeys have been added to the Lucanian honey production regulations and have begun proceedings to obtain the protected geographical indication trademark (Igp).

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT Wildflower honey has a light colour ranging from white to amber and variable scents and flavours that go from delicate to averagely intense, with caramelised or fruity essences. Orange honey is mainly produced in the Metapontino area. Its bouquet is intense and reminiscent of the fragrant smell of orange blossom. Chestnut honey is a dark amber colour with reddish-green hues. The taste is very intense and slightly bitter; the bouquet is strong, persistent and pungent and recalls the smell of damp wood. Production is concentrated in the Vulture-Melfi area.

Lastly, eucalyptus honey has hues that go from dark amber to greyish beige. The flavour is sweet with a characteristic aroma that is reminiscent of liquorice and its bouquet is unmistakeable, ranging from hints of dried mushrooms to toffee.

Consorzio regionale di tutela e valorizzazione del Miele Lucano President: Franco Rondinella Via Giambattista Rossi - Ripacandida (PZ) Tel. e fax +39 0972 645404 info@mielelucano.it www.mielelucano.it natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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territorial certification

cacioricotta LUCANO Highly popular goat’s cream cheese

46

territorial certification

Denomination

Cacioricotta lucano territorial certification

Production area

Basilicata

Characteristics

A hard cheese made mainly from the full cream milk of local goats or goats crossbred with breeds in the area (Garganica, Maltese, Jonica and Camosciata)

This cheese originates from the need to continue cheese-making during the summer months when the sheep are “dry”, i.e. when their milk production is slow or on hold.

During this period, the shepherds either used a sheep and goat’s milk blend or purely goat’s milk to produce

PRODUCTION The ethnographer Paul Scheuermeier from Zurich, in his «The Farmers’ Work», refers to the German linguist Gerhard Rohlfs, who had, in 1923, discovered “a particular type of cheese called cacioricotta” in Lucania, which can now be found in the other southern regions.

Cacioricotta Lucano, however, is now making a name for itself commercially.

Listed among the traditional agro-food products, it is achieving increasing popularity among consumers outside the region. In Basilicata it is estimated that 10,000 quintals are produced annually with a turnover of about Euro 8 million. These figures are bound to increase since Basilicata is among the top Italian regions in terms of the number of goats reared.

The product is also the topic of a safeguarding operation.

The “Associazione per la Tutela e la Valorizzazione” (Tutelage and Development Association) with about ten breeder and cheese-maker members, was founded in 2007 with the aim of obtaining the denomination of protected origin (dop) trademark.

From a technical point of view, Cacioricotta Lucano is a hard cheese made from not less than 80% of the full cream milk of local goats (or goats crossbred with other local breeds in the area) and not more than 20% of sheep or cow’s milk from animals bred within the Basilicata territory.

The animals must be left to pasture and additionally fed with fresh, quality forage produced in the region. At least 70% of this additional hay, grain and clover must come from the same area.

The milk used for cheese-making must be full cream and the product of one or two daily milkings. Lastly, processing must be carried out no more than 48 hours after milking.

There are 49 cheese-making companies in Basilicata that produce Cacioricotta, 29 of which are located in the province of Potenza and 20 in Matera. Commercialisation

a cheese known as «Cacioricotta» due to its particular processing technique. The milk is brought to almost boiling point and both casein and whey protein are absorbed into the curd. After the casein proteins curdle, they usually remain in the whey and produce ricotta (cottage cheese).

is undergoing development and it is now possible to purchase this speciality from animal farm companies although often, it can only be bought on order.

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT Cacioricotta Lucano is cylindrical in shape with a grooved outer surface. It is whitish-grey in colour and has a compact consistency without holes. The taste is slightly acid, tending on strong.

This cheese is particularly tasty both when fresh or mature and is a suitable accompaniment with many traditional local dishes.

It is often grated in large flakes on pasta and salads. It goes well with «strascinati» (fresh pasta made with hard wheat flour and water, cut into little tubes that are then “dragged” over a rough, grooved surface and widened) served with a simple tomato sauce or a rich Lucanian ragù; or with crunchy, hard wheat chunks of bread fried with pieces of dried peppers.

It is superb with cardoncelli mushrooms seasoned with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil and a tiny sprinkling of «puljo» (calamint), a typical herb from the Lucanian mountains.

But Cacioricotta Lucano can also be eaten on its own, sliced firstly into rounds and then into triangular wedges, and accompanied by the many varieties of Lucanian honey.

Needless to say, the ideal accompaniment to these dishes is a full-bodied red wine, especially Aglianico del Vulture Doc.

Associazione di tutela e valorizzazione del Cacioricotta Lucano President: Giovanni Samela c/o AASD Pantano di Pignola Contrada Pantano - Pignola (PZ) Tel. e fax +39 0971 482000 natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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territorial certification

LAMB FROM THE LUCANIAN DOLOMITES From the Dolomites to the table consumer certified meat

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Denomination

Agnello delle Dolomiti Lucane territorial certification

Production area

The whole region

Breeds

Lambs conceived by breeds of sheep and rams deriving from Merinos (Merinizzata, Gentile, Sopravvisana)

territorial certification

In Basilicata the sheep and goat sector has always played a central role in livestock farming. It is of economic and social importance registering to date about 120,000 animals and more than 1,100 companies. “L’agnello delle Dolomiti Lucane” takes its name from one of the most fascinating places in the entire region dotted with characteristic high steeples and located in part of a mountain range that dates back 15 million years. The meat obtained from this Merinos derivate breed is one of the emerging products from the animal farming sector that has only recently been placed in the Basilicata «basket».

PRODUCTION It all started from a project created and promoted by the «Basento Camastra» Local Action Group (Gruppo di azione locale - Gal) after several bodies, including the Region of Basilicata and the mountain communities of «Alto Basento» and «Camastra Alto Sauro» signed a letter of intent.

«L’Agnello delle Dolomiti Lucane» has this been a collective geographical brand since the beginning of 2008 that has protected lambs born from the sheep and rams of the Merinizzata, Gentile and Sopravvisana breeds and reared on the pastures of 55 mountain communities throughout the region.

The trademark makes the “Agnello delle Dolomiti Lucane” easy to identify through tracing and certification and is a guarantee to the final consumer.

There are 18 certified companies. According to the production rules, the lambs should be slaughtered at two different ages (45 or 100 days) and within the Basilicata territory so that the animals are less stressed by being transported, loaded and unloaded.

The reason behind the collective brand is to sustain the sheep and goat sector which is renowned for the quality of its meat but is currently going through a difficult period due to low-profits and problems in the meat trade.

The final objective of the project is to increase the value of this type of lamb and to optimise its visibility on regional and national markets.

HOW TO RECOGNISE IT Cooperativa Edere Lucanum President: Vita Guglielmi c/o Gal Basento Camastra Via del Gallitello, 86 - Potenza Tel. e fax +39 0971 508029 info@galbasentocamastra.it

The meat from the “Agnello delle Dolomiti Lucane” owes it excellence to the lushness of the mountain pastures.

For this reason, according to the regulations, the sheep are reared mainly in the natural state and only given shelter during the winter and at night.

Lamb with herbs and roast lamb chops with vegetables are among the most well-known Lucanian recipes. natural, typical, but above all lucanian

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«ORIZZONTI LUCANI»

local products at the centre of territorial marketing «Orizzonti lucani» (Lucanian horizons) is an initiative aimed at making local specialities and Basilicata celebrity products “travel” around Italy and the world, by bringing to the fore their unmistakable perfumes and flavours against the enchanting and highly characteristic background of Basilicata scenery.

This is the originality of the umbrella brand that the Basilicata Region promoted in September 2008, which, for the first time, grouped the five Lucanian agro-food sectors (wine production and olive growing, cereal cultivation, fruit and vegetable farming and animal farming) together. An initiative promoted by Breeders’ Associations and the Agriculture and Rural Development Department, the «Orizzonti lucani» logo is a colourful windmill of gluttony. This trademark earmarked the success of the first edition of the Festival of Mediterranean Flavour in Matera from 26th to 28th September last and it will accompany every activity aimed at developing and promoting Basilicata’s excellent agro-food products.

The aim is to build a strong, competitive and varied regional agricultural development model to encourage the union of our particular geographical characteristics and our historical-social peculiarities, especially in agricultural terms, which would be able to exploit the differences of Basilicata.

The attention of the Agriculture Department of the Region is therefore focused on those systems that are able to raise the qualitative standards without altering

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the differences, but which can also maintain the richness and re-launch the social network of the countryside in order to give it particular and incomparable territorial identity.

Therefore, «Orizzonti lucani» aims at becoming the banner of a Basilicata that is united in its intent. Originating from the idea that it is imperative these days to have a system between the various sectors and to adapt to new and rapidly changing national and international scenarios, the Region wants to activate a virtuous circle which would not only programme production, obtain excellence and place the most suitable agricultural and animal products on the market, but also use these products to promote the territory from which they come.

«Orizzonti lucani» depicts Basilicata as one big farm organised into different agro-food sectors for all good products. In order to give visibility to each of the elements within this organization, a packed programme of national and international events has been arranged so that the institutions, professional organisations and various other protagonists can have the chance to be seen.

The participation of the Basilicata Region Department of Agriculture at most of the sector’s international events, with an ad hoc stand, will help to give added value to the project and will highlight the connection between territory and local products and attract those operators that pay particular attention to quality and those consumers who make careful choices.

Produced and drafted by the editorial