Fruits of Calabria: The Merendella Peach

30.8.2022

Merendella peach is a real delight: small size, smooth white skin tending to green with some pinkish streaks, very sweet and fragrant pulp with a vague hint of honey and citrus fruits.

It is a prized variety of nectarine peach, fruit of the Prunus persica, a tree of the Rosaceae family. The peach was already known in antiquity for the beauty of its flowers and the goodness of its fruits.

HISTORY AND LEGEND

Originally from China, where it was considered sacred, peach soon spread to the East and from there to Europe. It owes its name to Persia, in fact it the word peach means in Persian “deriving from Persia”, and also in many regions the fruit of the peach tree is still called this way but declined to the feminine, in the Calabrian dialect is “perzica”, in Genoan “persiga”, in the dialect of Rome “persica”.

The fruit in China was a symbol of immortality but in other countries the delicious fruit has always had an aura of sacredness. In Japan it protects from evil forces, in China it was believed that by eating it the body was preserved from corruption, in some European countries being under a peach tree and eating its leaves helped to heal from fever and worms.

Juicy peaches

In Egypt the peach was sacred to Harpocrates, god of silence and childhood, so much so that even today the cheeks of children are compared to peaches, for their softness and roundness. It seems that the fruit arrived in Italy, in Rome, in the first century thanks to Alexander the Great, who was fascinated when he saw it for the first time in the gardens of King Darius in Persia.

Since then the tree with its beautiful pink flowers spread everywhere, giving rise to many varieties of peaches and peach nuts in the various territories, such as the delicious “merendella” peach of Calabria.

MERENDELLA, A HISTORICAL FRUIT OF CALABRIA

The Calabrian name of the small peach comes from “merenda”, a Latin term that could come either from meridies of from noon, just to indicate a quick meal to replace lunch, or from the verb “merere”, meaning to deserve or meaning the snack as a meal granted to subordinates following particular working merits.

We find the same meaning in the Greek language, meris which means part.

Merendella peaches of Calabria

The merendella peach also exists in Sicily and is called “sbergia”, but the Calabrian variety, particularly widespread in the Lamezia area and Catanzaro, has special characteristics as described above, probably due to the natural habitat of the territory.

It reaches maturity between mid-July and August, a period in which it can be found at local markets. instead, it is difficult to find it outside the region, as it is a very delicate and complicated fruit to transport.

SMAF Ltd Dairy: Provola!

20.5.2022

We proudly present our line of Authentic Calabrian Dairy: SMAF Ltd selection.

All SMAF Dairy is generally produced throughout Southern Italy, over the wide area of Apennine Mountains, but only in Calabria local lassic Dairy Products are a must of Mediterranean Cuisine.

First starring of our production is CACIOCAVALLO, a type of stretched-curd cheese made out of sheep’s or cow’s milk.

Among different types of Caciocavallo, we sell the Fresh Version: PROVOLA.

Two kind:

  • Fresh provola
  • Smoked provola

While Caciocavallo is generally produced throughout Southern Italy, over the wide area of Apennine Mountains and of the Gargano peninsula, only Calabrian Provola is shaped like a tear-drop, very similar in taste to the aged Southern Italian Provolone cheese, with a soft edible rind.

Fresh Provola

Many different types of PROVOLA exist in Italy and several are recognized as P.A.T. (“Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale”, traditional regional food product), but only Provola Silana has the better Protected geographical status (PDO).

This cheese is made with cow’s milk in designated areas of Southern Italy, in the regions of Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise and Puglia and gained protected geographical status, since 1993.

Our selection of fresh Provola

THE TRADITIOF OF A DELICIOUS CHEESE

Maybe, the term “Provola” derives from the word “Pruvatura” or “Pruvula” which was the cheese made to taste the priests conducting a religious procession to a monastery (in Italian to taste is translated by the verb “provare”).

However, someone tells that the etymology is Greek. The ancient Greek provolà (Attic προβολή, Doric προβολά) generically indicated all those things that protrude. Therefore, the typical protuberance of the cheese “provola” is maybe related to the classic word. At the same time, it recalls the clearly Greek origin of such delicious cheese.

Smoked dairy: smoked provola

OUR ROLE

SMAF LTD is a supplier and has vision and mission as Society for Authentic Mediterranean Food (S.M.A.F.). Therefore, SMAF LTD deals with all the cheeses labelled in Calabrian DOPs, first of all the classic Dairy Products, mentioned above, including the sweet or seasoned Calabrian Pecorino cheese of Mount Poro, and the Crotonese Pecorino cheese, pure sheep cheese with a 4 month seasoning and a spicy flavour.

Caciocavallo

But above all, the Aspromonte Caciocavallo produced with whole-cow milk with a savoury and spicy flavour with a two month seasoning.