L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano T u r i , a n d t h e w h o l e a r e a a r o u n d B a r i , h a s c u l t i v a t e d c h e r r i e s f o r more than a century. Soil and micro-climate is what makes them special. At the beginning of the 1900s, the vast majority of cherries produced in Turi a n d i n o t h e r a r e a s o f Puglia was sulfurized and s o l d o n t h e n o r t h e r n Italian and international m a r k e t s . T h e c h e r r i e s from Turi were of different cultivars: molfettese, ruvo, testa di siepe, francia, San Nicola, limone, zuccaro, montagnola, napoletana, masciarola. Puglia's cher- r y p r o d u c t i o n m o s t l y s e r v e d t h e p r e s e r v e s industry, and was used to make jams, candied fruits and syrups. Our cherries were sent t o f o r e i g n a n d n o r t h e r n Italian markets exclusively with the ferrovia, by rail- w a y , o n f r e i g h t w a g o n s r e f r i g e r a t e d t o a s t a b l e temperature, necessary to k e e p t h e s e f r a g i l e f r u i t fresh. Transporting cherries wasn't an easy task: may it suffice to say that it would take eight days for them to travel from Puglia to the UK. During the months of M a y a n d J u n e , c h e r r i e s would often spoil in spite of traveling in well venti- l a t e d , c o o l w a g o n s , a n d would reach their destina- tion rotten. In the 1930s, the UK would receive great q u a n t i t i e s o f s u l f u r i z e d cherries, especially from the South of Italy, which were usually transported in barrels filled with salted water. Once they were in Britain, the cherries were used to produce jams, can- died fruit and syrups. Only a small part of the fresh cherries picked by our farmers were sold on the local market. Because o f t h e i r h i g h p r i c e , n o t everyone could afford this precious fruit. It is towards the end of the 1930s, in a small field in the Prociere borough of T u r i , b e l o n g i n g t o M o d e s t o V a l e n t i n i (Anzìdde-Anzìdde) that, likely by chance, the beau- tiful and charming story of our famous ferrovia di Turi cherry began. It is told that the early protago- n i s t s o f t h i s t a l e w e r e Giovanni Arrè and his brother-in-law, M a t t e o Di Venere, both farmers in Turi who, after having s o m e o f t h e i r u n c l e Modesto's cherries with their frugal meal, thought to sow their stones under a s m a l l m o u n d o f r o c k s . With appropriate care, and a f t e r a y e a r , t h e s e e d s s p r o u t e d a n d , l a t e r , a small plant began yielding a very special fruit. W e s p o k e a b o u t t h i s beautiful, real life tale with two experienced farmers, w h o e x p l a i n e d h o w , t h a n k s t o t h e w o r k o f M o t h e r N a t u r e a n d t h e r u l e s o f b o t a n i c , t h o s e seeds –which belonged to t h e r u v o - c a p a d i s e r p e variety -- gave us the fer- rovia cherry. W o r d s o f G i o v a n n i Cazzetta, born in 1939, farmer from Turi "My grandfather's name was Giovanni Arrè and he was a farmer. Towards the end of the '30s, in May or June, he and his brother- in-law Matteo Di Venere STEFANO DE CAROLIS went to work on their cart, in a field that belonged to Di Venere, in the Prociere b o r o u g h . I t w a s a s m a l l farm that Di Venere inher- i t e d f r o m h i s u n c l e Modesto Valentini. After a few hours of work in the fields, the two stopped for s o m e r e s t a n d a s n a c k , which they consumed on a stone seat, placed inside the dry stone wall. Not too f a r , t h e r e w a s a s m a l l mound of stones. At the end of their meal, they ate a handful of cherries and then decided to sow their stones near those rocks, s a y i n g v e d i m e c e av'assìje, let's see what comes out of it. "A year later, the cherry stones sprouted and, after another five or six years of tender care, a small plant b e g a n y i e l d i n g t h e f i r s t cherries. Thanks to their experience, the two farm- ers immediately appreciat- ed the characteristics of t h e n e w c h e r r i e s : t h e i r s h a p e , t h e i r f l a v o r a n d Cherry picking and selling in Puglia (Photo by Mariarosaria Venere) On Turi's ciliegia ferrovia and how it was born from a cherry stone LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Continued to page 22

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