Description
Brovada PDO is a product derived from pickling the local ecotype of purple-collared white turnip belonging to the Brassica rapa L. rapa Hart. species, also known as the “Brovada’ turnip”.
Production Area
The production area of Brovada PDO is within the territory of the provinces of Gorizia, Pordenone and Udine, excluding areas located at an altitude of more than 1 200 metres a.s.l., in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.
Production Method
The turnips are harvested between September and December. After being washed they are put whole, layered alternately with grape marc, into wooden, fibreglass, stainless steel or food plastic vats. The use of fresh grape mash, red wine, red wine vinegar and coarse sea salt is optional, while preservatives or colourings may not be used. The grape marc must come from the wine-making of red grapes originating from the local vineyards and must be dry and easy to mince; before being placed in the vats, the grape marc can be “acetified” by leaving it to macerate for 2-30 days. The turnips must remain in the vats for at least 25 days if production begins in September, and 30 days if it begins between October and March. The vats must be kept at room-temperature between 8 and 25°C. The fermentation process is concluded when: the flesh inside the turnips has turned a creamy pink colour; the aroma is of wine and not turnip; when the product has a springy consistency. Once taken out of the vats, the grape marc is washed off the turnips, which are then selected, peeled and grated in a specific way in order to obtain the so-called “matchstick slices”. The product is preserved for 48 hours before being packaged.
Appearance and Flavour
Brovada PDO is grated into slices of between 3 and 7 mm. It is creamy-white to pink in colour depending on the grape marc used. It has a crunchy and elastic consistency, is never hard, and has an acidic flavour and a piquant aroma of grape marc.
History
There are numerous historical references to the habitual consumption of Brovada, the “poor man’s dish”, in the production area, found in literary works and farming or cooking texts. In a publication from 1860, there is a passage which describes the process of preserving turnip in wine, whereas in Annali dell’Agricoltura del Regno d’Italia - Tomo Quinto – January, February and March 1810, by Professor Filippo Re, there is a description of the production method, and the most important procedures described for producing Brovada are those still used today.
Gastronomy
If kept in its original packaging Brovada PDO can be kept in a cool dry place. It is generally eaten cooked. In Friulian tradition, Brovada PDO is used as an accompaniment to meat and in typical winter recipes with pork knuckle or Cotechino (traditional sausage and lentil stew). It can also be used as an ingredient in soups or vegetable dishes, or eaten as meal on its own by cooking it for several hours together with lard, pesto, onion, garlic, parsley and sage.
Marketing
The product is marketed as Brovada PDO. It is sold in various sized hermetically sealed recipients (from 100 g to 10 kg) that can be in the form of bags, containers, plastic or glass jars.
Distinctive Features
The fundamental stages of the production process of Brovada PDO are still controlled by the professionalism of Friulian producers, who are expert in judging the point of the grape marc’s acidification, the correct layering of the product in the vats and the length of the fermentation process.
