Description
Fico Bianco del Cilento PDO is a sun-dried fig belonging to the Ficus carica L. species, a domestic sub-species deriving from the Dottato cultivar and known as the “Cilento White Fig”.
Production Area
The production area of Fico Bianco del Cilento PDO is within the territory of 68 municipalities in the coastal hills between Agropoli and Bussento, an area that is mostly part of the Cilento National Park and the Diano Valley, in the Province of Salerno, in the Campania region.
Production Method
The figs are grown using the “free pot” method, traditional to the area, and the more recent “bush pot” and “hedge” methods. Figs that are destined to be dried with the skin must be harvested when they are very ripe, whilst figs that will be dried without the skin can be picked before ripening. The harvest generally begins in August and can last up until October. The drying process must take place in direct sunlight and/or using adjuvant techniques, such as protecting the fruits exposed to the sun with a plastic tunnel and/or soaking them in a hot water solution containing 2% salt. The product can also be sold after being cooked in hot-air ovens, which darken their skin. The figs can be stuffed with almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, fennel seeds and citrus peel, on the condition that they originate from the production area and that the stuffing does not exceed 10% of the finished product. The additional ingredients must be stuffed inside the dried fig with a lengthways cut.
Appearance and Flavour
Fico Bianco del Cilento PDO is shaped like a long pear and has a very light colour, tending towards white when peeled; unpeeled it is an even pale yellow and when cooked the colour ranges from amber-yellow to brown. The flesh is amber-yellow in colour, with a typically doughy consistency and a very sweet flavour.
History
It appears that fig plants were introduced into the production area of Fico Bianco del Cilento PDO before the 6th century BC, by ancient Greeks who founded many of the cities in the area. Catone, followed by Varrone, told of how dried figs were commonly used as a basic food by the manual fieldworkers in Cilento and Lucania. The Quaterno doganale delle marine del Cilento (1486) documented the existence of a flourishing production and trade in dry figs, which were launched on to the Italian market as a highly prestigious food product.
Gastronomy
As a dried product, the Organoleptic properties of Fico Bianco del Cilento PDO can remain unaltered for a long period of time. It is however advisable to keep it in a cool, dry place. This tasty sweet fruit has a delicious fragrant flavour, and for this reason can be used in many different ways: in its natural form or stuffed, covered in chocolate or soaked in rhum. It is also used in many traditional Campana recipes, such as the recently rediscovered ancient fig molasses, a syrup obtained by pressing dried figs and used as a culinary condiment (on meats, salads, seafood, desserts).
Marketing
The product is marketed as Fico Bianco del Cilento PDO with or without peel. The fruit are sold either plain or stuffed, in packaging weighing between 125 g and 1 kg, or loose in chests made of vegetal materials, ranging from 1 to 20 kg.
Distinctive Features
Fico Bianco del Cilento PDO, produced with the Dottato variety of fig, owes its characteristics to the processing stages that take place exclusively within the production area; processing takes place on many small farms that respect the customs and traditions of the production process.
