Tag: fruit

Bergamot inside Calabrian Gastronomy

4.4.2018

Bergamot, inside Calabrian Gastronomy, is contantly present.

 

JUICE

We can mention Bergamot juice based drink. This a refreshing, invigorating and extremely refreshing drink, to be consumed for breakfast, so energizing your awakening or drinking during the day, and to win your thirst for a long time. Bergamot juice can also be added to aloe, this way all the properties of bergamot and aloe vera gel and arborescensis, can give raise to a natural and health drinks. This variant will be pleasantly surprising, refreshing, relaxing for the stomach and the digestive system.

JAM

All the properties of bergamot are, further, present in the bergamot jam. Good on bread, special on cheeses. The variant of bergamot and ginger jam can be used to garnish cheese, meat and fish.

 

OLIVE OIL

You can find, inside Calabrian cuisine, the olive oil flavored with bergamot, obtained only by infusion in organic or non organic olive oil and left to mature for at least a month to absorb all the aromas, aromas and fragrance of bergamot.

 

Olive oil flavoured with Bergamot is a wonderful combination for shellfish and fish, and contrasts the wild smell of meat such as wild boar, hare or pheasant. it can tried with scallops, pork and chicken.
The oil is used as a complement to salads, as well as to enrich sauces and “salmorigli”, excellent also to flavor pasta and filled pasta.

 

PEELINGS

The whole dried Bergamot peelings are handmade, for all the preparations where the use of bergamot peel is expected, especially for the preparation of herbal teas and infusions, of liqueurs and beers. Another possible use of peelings is to aromatize in a simple and natural way Calabrian desserts, or to enhance the aroma of all the sweet preparations.

For example, the preparation of Tea with Bergamot peelings requests pour boiling water in a cup and adding two teaspoons, mix and cover the cup to avoid dispersion of the most volatile aromas. Leaving to infuse for a few minutes, you can obtain a typical Calabrian and Mediteranea drink, advisable to consume without sugar or with honey.

 

CANDIES

It is possible to try Calabrian bergamot candies. In strips, in whole cups and as “bergamottini” (small fruits). Perfect as appetizers, as desserts and ingredients for Calabrian dishes, for desserts or for local ice cream.

 

SYRUP

Bergamot syrups are obtained only from Original Calabrian bergamot. This syrup can be diluted for authentic Mediterannean refreshing drinks, to sweeten teas or herbal teas or to produce delicious preserves, giving a unique aroma, to be used to garnish local sweets, ice cream or smoothies, or to garnish fish dishes.

For example, it is usual the recipe for baked salmon with bergamot, a simple and quick second course to prepare. The syrup can be added on slices or on salmon fillet.

 

HONEY

Calabrian Honey can be flavored with fine and enveloping bergamot. The use of this fragrant honey is very varied, it is mainly used to sweeten, stuff and aromatize sweets and dishes, but it goes very well with cured meats and fresh and aged cheeses.
Honey since ancient times was used as a remedy for almost all health problems. Various studies have shown tha Bergamot honey:

  • It has a decongestant and sedative action against coughing.
  • It offers numerous benefits for blood and heart, in fact it reduces cholesterol, glycemia and triglycerides.
  • It is a powerful natural antibiotic and anti-fungal.
  • It regulates metabolism and helps to control body weight.
  • It offers numerous benefits for the stomach and intestines, in fact it is curative for inflammation and infections of the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
  • It has a diuretic action
  • Rich in benefits for the skin and especially for acne.

It is a genuine honey, without preservatives, harvested from the beehive as ancient tradition, nourishing, not very sweet aromatic and excellent for breakfast or fresh cheeses.

 

LIQUEUR

The bergamot liqueur, often called bergamino, is a Calabrian liqueur typical of the province of Reggio Calabria; it is unique and almost impossible to find. The liqueur of bergamot is obtained by macerating the zest in alcohol for a few days. The infusion is then filtered and mixed with a syrup obtained with water and sugar. It is preferable to consume it fresh to better appreciate its aroma, as after meal or for the preparation of desserts and ice creams. It is eaten iced to better taste its aroma.

A special variant is Bergamot Grappa, it is distilled in a traditional way. The particularity is the union between the intense aromas of grappa and the taste of bergamot, thus giving those who taste it a pleasant sensation of freshness. It is advisable to serve it in a frozen glass at the end of meals.

 

CHOCOLATE

In Calabria you can taste a delicious specialty of craftsmanship, handcrafted, to be enjoyed, offered or given away all year, for sweet moments of pleasure: chocolate flavoured with bergamot. The chocolate, mainly bars, is made with 100% natural ingredients, like the oils extracted directly from the Bergamot.  Further, inside the bars of extra dark chocolate (61% average of pure chocolate) you can find the flavors and aromas of Bergamot and rediscover its versatility.

 

FIGS

Figs at the Bergamot of Reggio Calabria are a tyical mixture. Ingredients are baked figs and molasses of figs with bergamot. These delicious figs are dipped in a delicious fig molasses flavored with a citrus unique in the world.

 

PASTA

“La Fileja” is a typical Calabrese pasta format. The pasta fileja is produced in a traditional way with the best grain, mixed with cold water and dried slowly at a low temperature. Ingredients: Durum wheat semolina, water, natural essence of bergamot. It is excellent for the preparation of first courses based on fish.

Olive Oil, Mediterranean essence

27.2.2018

Like Bergamot, another true essence of Calabrian gastronomy is olive oil. Such authentic food is full of culture, history and is a must of Southern cuisine.

The trynomial of wine (Cirò and Donnici), bread (for example, Donnici bread quality, near Cosenza) and olive oil (Nocellara and Carolea) is the true basis of daily life of Calabrian people.

The real Southern gastronomy is able to combine quality and wellness; at the same time, the region of Calabria lives on export of Olive Oil. Namely, Calabria is, now, the source of 25% PRODUCTION OF ITALIAN OLIVE OIL; at the same time, among the top six olive oil of the world, two are Calabrian, and, commercially, Calabrian oil is sold to wholesalers who take this dense, robust Calabrian olive oil and mix it with that of other regions.

Generally speaking, Calabrian olive oil is a very safe and HEALTHY FOOD for the every-day life, providing monounsaturated fats, which can naturally lower cholesterol and risk of heart disease. Further, extra-virgin oil contains antioxidants very useful for said heart healthy. This wholesome antioxidant-rich product also contains vitamin E, renowned for its anti-cholesterol and anti anti-ageing effect. Dubbed as olive oil’s most beneficial health component, its polyphenols are potent antioxidants that neutralize free radicals in the body and reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, digestive problems and certain types of cancer.

As a SYMBOL OF THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET, Calabrian extra virgin olive oil represents an important addition to export product range of Calabria. Its finest Organic Olives are carefully selected and cold pressed – enjoying all the full, fruity flavours of this healthy oil.

Calabrian Extra Virgin Olive Oil have colors ranging from green to straw-yellow and has a distinct fruity flavor and aroma with a slight tinge of bitterness.

After careful growing, a delicate harvesting by hand, and cold pressing in cutting-edge olive press, Calabrian extra virgin olive oil fully reflects authentic tastes and aromas of the land, where the trees grew. In fact, two mains, typical Calabrian Olive Varieties are CAROLEA andNOCELLARA.

Traditionally, these two type of olive trees have always had a symbiotic relationship with grapevines. Therefore, the interaction of the plants with the nearby environment influences the low acidity and a nice depth scent combined with a certain refinement of delicate tones of the oil. Calabrian oil are normally “fruity” with hints of almonds and artichokes as well as a pleasantly spicy note. This rare spicy note is sometimes called ‘pizzicante’ flavour of extra virgin olive oil, and is very important as an indication that the oil is rich in polyphenols. Further, this luscious oil always features fragrant hints of almonds, basil and parsley, and notes of artichoke, lettuce, wild thistle and chicory.

In GASTRONOMY Calabrian olive oil is ideal on fish and in fish sauces, but also substantial enough to match nicely with meat, game, and vegetables. Extremely tasty, this oil is ideal to enhance the flavour of a wide variety of dishes, from pasta to meat courses, cheeses and bruschettas. Especially, extra virgin olive oil from Calabria is ideal when paired with shrimp, lobster, turbot and sea bream, mushrooms, soft cheese, mayonnaise, couscous and yeast-raised cakes. Finally, sweet and fragrant, this aromatic oil will glorify the flavor of any dish to the fullest, embodying a well-balanced bitterness with a light spicy aftertaste.

The typical way to produce Calabrian oil are two: MULTICULTIVAR or MONOCULTIVAR.

The latter means that oil is made from a single variety of olives harvested (during the peak of Calabrian Autumn in October) from olive trees grown in the exquisite clay soil of the Calabrian region.

All the extra virgin olive oils produced in Calabria derive from cold pressing of olives, without the use of heat or chemicals. This ensures that oils maintain an acidity level of less than 0.8% and retain all the positive nutritional benefits of the olives, including good cholesterol, vitamin E and anti-inflammatory properties.

Of course this kind of olive oil is recognized at European level.

In fact, Calabrian olive oil corresponds to the trade names provided for in Directive 136/6623 / EEC, Reg. EC 2568/91 and Reg. EC 1989/03.

The types of Olive Oils which Europe guarantees are:
•Extra virgin olive oil with an acidity of less than 0.8%
•Virgin olive oil with an acidity up to 2%
•Olive oil composed of fine oils and oils of virgin olives with an acidity not exceeding 1%
•Saffron oil and derivatives of saffron oil of raw olives.