A couple of years ago I found an interesting article about a forgotten citrus fruit that in the least two centuries was commonly found in the restaurants of Liguria (North-West coast of Italy). The Chinotto di Savona is a cultivar of the Myrtle-leaved orange and the plants not taller than 5 feet produces small round greenish fruits that discolor to orange at full maturity. The fruits are eaten only after a complex transformation. First the chinotti are washed and traditionally a very thin layer of the external surface is peeled out. The fruits are put in a 10% salt water solution for 20 days. Change the water every 4-5 days. This procedure will attenuate the bitter taste. The fruits are now ready for the most important step: the sugaring (canditura). The fruits are immerged in boiling sugar syrup for 10-15 minutes. Leave the chinotti in the syrup for 24 hours. Than increase the % of sugar and repeat the step for 5 to 6 days in order to allow the chinotti to assume a translucent discoloration. The fruits are conserved in the syrup or more traditionally put in Maraschino for 5-6 days before tasting. Simply gorgeous! The Chinotto di Savona is a presidium of slow food (http://www.slowfoodfoundation.org).
No comments:
Post a Comment