L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2022 L'Italo-Americano F o r s i x y e a r s o f my life, I lived in L i g u r i a , b e f o r e e v e n t u a l l y s e t - tling back in my beloved Piemonte. While on the riviera, I had the habit to buy my vegetables and fruit from the farmers' market that, twice a week, animated t h e b r e a t h t a k i n g m a i n square of the village: with its traditionally Ligurian color- ful homes and the majestic baroque basilica that domi- nated it, I can guarantee you that taking a stroll through it was a panacea for all ail- ments. A n y w a y , t h e f a r m e r s ' m a r k e t ! T h i s t i m e o f t h e year, and well into the Sum- m e r , o n e o f m y f a v o r i t e t h i n g s t o g e t w a s t r o m - bette, a variety of zucchini, lighter in color, longer but with a smaller circumfer- ence. While similar in taste t o t h e i r m o r e f a m o u s cousins, they are somehow more delicate and creamier i n t e x t u r e : t h e y a r e d e l i - cious, like zucchini, fried with eggs, or cooked with olive oil and vinegar. Good, old trombette have always been a pretty common veg- etable on my kitchen table, even during my childhood in southern Piemonte, where Ligurian produce is easy to f i n d a n d i s g r o w n b y o u r local farmers, too. So, you may imagine my absolute surprise when I discovered, just a handful of weeks ago, that trombette are, in fact, at risk of extinction! I was surfing the net in search of recipes for a din- ner when I came across a v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g p i e c e b y F e d e r i c a M i c e l i , a young Social Media and con- tent marketing specialist, published on the colorful food blog Italia in Tavola, of which she is also a founder. The article presented 10 Ital- ian excellences, from vegeta- b l e s t o c h e e s e s t o s h e e p breeds, at "risk of extinc- tion:" among them, also my beloved trombette. This deli- cious vegetable was import- ed directly, centuries ago, by Ligurian sailors from Ameri- ca and it is considered at risk because its cultivation is not widespread outside of the region; it owes its name, which means "little trumpet" in Italian, to the fact it tends t o t u r n o n t o i t s e l f w h i l e growing. But trombette are not the only unsuspected product on Miceli's list, as we even find apples! Yes, this ubiqui- t o u s a n d p o p u l a r f r u i t i s having a hard time in Italy, or better, a variety of it is. The Campanina dell'E- milia apple, traditionally g r o w n i n t h e M o d e n a province of Emilia used to be the most common in the r e g i o n , s o m u c h s o i t ' s t h e a d h o c t y p e f o r t h e famous mostarda di mele Campanine, a fruit preserve t r a d i t i o n a l l y s e r v e d w i t h meats. Unfortunately, Cam- panine apples do not yield as many fruits as other vari- eties, so their cultivation has been, especially after the e n d o f t h e S e c o n d W o r l d War, substituted with other, more productive types. I was surprised to find out that my region, Piemonte, is also at risk of losing one of its agro-food excellences, the S a m b u c a n a s h e e p . This breed, which hails from the beautiful Valle Stura, in the Maritime Alps, is not only known for its delicate meat but also because it is key in the maintenance of the local eco-system's bal- a n c e . F A O h a d a l r e a d y b r o u g h t a t t e n t i o n t o t h e breed in 1985, when it had declared it officially at risk of extinction: back then, only 80 animals were alive. How- ever, in a plot twist worthy of t h e b e s t A g a t h a C h r i s t i e novel, locals managed to save their iconic sheep from dis- a p p e a r i n g , b y d e d i c a t i n g more time and space to their breeding. Today, there are a b o u t 5 , 0 0 0 S a m b u c a n a s h e e p i n V a l l e S t u r a , a n d 10,000 lambs every year. In beautiful Abruzzo, we encounter an iconic type of f l o u r , w h i c h h a s b e e n declared one of the rarest products in the world by the U n i t e d N a t i o n s : S o l i n a wheat flour. Italy is not new to the rediscovery of old, traditional grains, but Solina wheat is incredibly special. The cereal, which is charac- terized by its resilience to c o l d a n d s n o w – a s y o u would expect from a grain t h a t g r o w s h i g h u p i n t h e Apennines – is another vic- tim of the rise in popularity of highly productive wheat varieties that yield more for l e s s i n v e s t m e n t a n d c a r e . Will Solina wheat become one of the Belpaese resur- rected grani antichi? Let us hope so. L a s t , b u t n o t l e a s t , a cheese. We must cross the Tyrrhenian and reach our emerald jewel, Sardinia, to find su casu cun s'axrid- da, a goat and sheep milk cheese, typical of the village of Escapalano, in the Cagliari p r o v i n c e , f a m o u s f o r t h e peculiar technique used for its production. To protect the c h e e s e f r o m t h e S u m m e r heat, local shepherds would cover it with clay: a method t o p r e s e r v e t h e c h e e s e i n time, but also something that gave it a special and unique a r o m a . T o d a y , a x r i d d a i s produced only locally and only by some families who have been keeping the tradi- tion alive. These are only a handful of t h e p r o d u c t s m e n t i o n e d by Italia in Tavola, and I warmly suggest you go and c h e c k t h e i r f u l l a r t i c l e , at www.italiaintavola.digital t o get a fuller view of the mat- t e r a n d t o e n j o y a t r u l y e n g a g i n g r e a d a b o u t t h e secret excellences of Italy we need to protect and save. CHIARA D'ALESSIO T r o m b e t t e a r e t y p i c a l o f L i g u r i a , b u t l i t t l e k n o w n o u t s i d e o f t h e r e g i o n ( P h o t o : Smileus/Dreamstime) Saving our heritage… on the table LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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