Food and Drinks in Cinque Terre

It is not really surprising that the kitchen in the Cinque Terre is heavily influenced by the Mediterrenean Sea. When visiting Cinque Terre, look out for the following specialties ...

Food

The Cinque Terre anchovy (Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure) has been protected by the European Union with 'Protected Designation of Origin'
The basic ingredient of Pesto is basil, which is cultivated on the terraced hills of Cinque Terre.
Olive Oil is one of the main ingredients of the Mediterranean kitchen. Olives have been cultivated for centuries on the steep slopes of the Cinque Terre hills. The mountains have been heavily terraced, thus making every little piece of land available to grow some olive trees (or vineyards). Every tree produces yearly some 10 kg of olives which is good for 2 liter of olive oil. For the production of olive oil, no chemicals are used, the oil being the result of simply pressing the olives.
Some olive trees have been there for hundreds of years. No wonder that olive oil is considered since the classic times as a symbol of health.
Focaccia is a flat bread, that is baked on hot stones. It is comparable to a pizza but a bit thicker. It is often spiced up with garlic or other species. With cheese and ham, it is the ideal content of a picknick basket to be used on one of your walks throught the Cinque Terre hills.
Farinata is a typcial Ligurian dish. It is a kind of pancake, made from chickpea flour, mixed with water, salt and olive oil and baked in an oven at 400°C. Delicious with some pesto or a piece of Gorgonzola.

Drinks

The coastline of Cinque Terre is protected by the hills behind from the sour winds coming from the north (especially in the winter). This makes even lemons grow in the Cinque Terre area.

On some of the terraces of Cinque Terre, some vineyards are still being cultivated (for the specialists with Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino grapes). Next to a dry white wine (Cinque Terre D.O.C.) also some specialties are produced :

Sciacchetrà : liquored wine with 18% of alcohol. It is made by drying the grapes for a few months in a very dry place. The wine is at its best after some further years of ripening with a piece of Gorgonzola. However, the production is so small, that the price has risen astronomically. Quite a pity ...
Limoncino is a sweet lemon liquor (the regional variety of the Amalfi Limoncello). To be drunk ice cold.

Local producers :
- Manarola - Volastra : Cantina della Cooperativa Agricoltura delle Cinque Terre
- Monterosso : Buranco

Product file of the European Commission :

1. Name of the product : „Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure”.

2. Description of the product

The Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure is reserved for the product obtained from the anchovies fished, processed and preserved in salt.

Anchovies, designating exclusively fish of the Engraulis encrasicolus L. species, are migratory and gregarious fish that migrate, from spring to autumn, close to the Ligurian coast and in the winter season in waters of 100 to 150 metres deep.

The finished product, i.e. ready to be marketed, will be as follows:
— size: body length between 12 and 20 cm,
— external appearance: anchovies must be whole; their very fine skin must still be partially visible,
— texture: filets must be tender and adhere to the fish-bone,
— colour: varying from pink to dark brown depending on the part of the body,
— taste: dry, fairly salty. The meat is lean and only slightly unctuous to the palate.

3. Geographical area

Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligureare fished, processed and packaged in waters off the Ligurian coast, which covers the territory of the municipalities in the region of Liguria on the Tyrrhenian coast delimited by the watershed line.

In particular, the fishing area comprises the zone along the Ligurian coast at a varying distance from the coast depending on both the fishing depth (bathymetry between 50 and 300 m) with a maximum distance of 20 km. The fishing technique is that traditionally used, i.e. lampara net fishing, which uses encircling nets.

The fishing area must be defined due to the need to process Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure within12 hours of the catch.

4. Proof of origin

Every stage in the production process must be monitored and a record made of the inputs and outputs at each stage.

This, the registration in special lists kept by the inspection body of fishermen, processors and packagers as well as the immediate notification to the inspection body of both the quantities fished and packaged ensure product traceability.

In particular, the inspection body will carry out checks to ensure that fishing takes place in the waters off the Ligurian coast. All operators, either legal or natural persons, registered in the relevant lists will be subject to checks by the inspection body.

5. Method of production

Means of capture: Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure must be fished using the traditional ‘lampara’ method on the basis of current Community and national legislation. The fishing period runs from 1 April to 15 October, when anchovies have reached sexual maturity and measure between 12 and 20 cm in length. Each kilogram of product must contain between 35 and 50 anchovies.

Production methods: After being caught, anchovies must be placed in traditional wooden crates, containing approximately 10 kg of product. Processing must begin within 12 hours of the catch.

A pre-salting phase is allowed for no more than 24 hours for an optimal removal of excess blood from the meat. The fish must be cleaned manually, removing the head. Once cleaned, anchovies must be placed side by side in a circle in chestnut wood barrels or terracotta pots for the time needed for maturation. Each layer of anchovies must be covered with medium-size cooking sea salt; the last layer must be covered with a sheet of material suitable for food use and of an appropriate thickness for the entire maturation period, onto which about 0,04 kg/cm2 of pressure is applied. Metal weights are not allowed.

Curing methods: Curing must take place in premises where the temperature can be kept constant for a period of 40 to 60 days. After the first 4 to 5 days of maturation, the liquid obtained must be replaced with brine. The product may mature in brine of medium (18-25 %) to strong (25-33 %) concentration. After maturation, the salted anchovies must be moved from the barrels to special cylindrical glass containers called ‘arbanelle’.

The containers must be big enough to allow appropriate packaging without damaging the product. The product may be packaged in different sizes, but the cylindrical see-through glass ‘arbanelle’ must contain salted anchovies with an overall net weight of between 200 and 3 000 g.

Anchovies must be placed in layers divided by a thin layer of medium-sized sea salt.

To prevent the product from oxidising, the last layer of anchovies must be completely covered in brine, especially prepared for the packaging of the product.

In the ‘arbanelle’, the last layer of anchovies must be covered by a sheet of slate, glass or plastic for food use, which is used to press down the anchovies. The package must be sealed to prevent spillage of the liquid or external contamination.

Persons intending to produce the protected geographical indication Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure must fully comply with the specification submitted to the EU.

6. Link

The main grounds for applying for recognition of the PGI Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure is the product's reputation.

The reputation of Acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure has long been recognised, and not only on the national market.

History

Already in the XVIth century in Liguria, fishing and trading both fresh and salt-preserved anchovies were governed by the various statutes of the main Ligurian coastal towns.

The link with anchovies and related economic activities was so important that it became necessary to adopt rules governing fishing technique, processing and marketing.

At the time, the Republic of Genoa was able to control the supply, pricing and marketing of fish as well as to enforce existing rules among fishermen.

The sale of fish was subject to a tax, the ‘gabella piscium’. Fishermen had to observe strict rules. To exercise their profession they had to be registered with their professional association and comply with its regulations. The same applied to fishmongers, registered with the so-called ‘Chiapparoli’ trade guild from ‘Chiappa’, the name of the area in Genoa where they sold their product.

For many families, salting and selling anchovies in salt was a real craft, comparable to wine production for the care and precision needed to control the brine.

Anchovies were placed in salt between May and the beginning of August; the best anchovies were those of June and July. A special licence was needed to salt and sell anchovies. Although the consumption of fresh fish was limited to coastal areas, preserved fish represented an extremely flourishing trade for the region of Liguria.

In particular, the mountain passes of the western coast were used by both salt convoys and by tradesmen selling preserved fish (acciugai).

The traditional quality of salted anchovies of the Ligurian Sea was, and still is, renown in nearby regions and most of all in Piedmont, where these anchovies became the main ingredient of one of the most famous regional dishes, the ‘bagna cauda’.

Reputation

This reputation helps consumers to immediately recognise the unique and authentic nature of the product and is closely linked with the tradition and general culture of the Ligurian maritime craft of preserving fish.

In Liguria, the craft of preserving anchovies in salt has a high economic value due to high consumer appreciation, which translates into higher selling prices than similar products of a different origin.

Apart from these economic considerations, it should be stressed that fishermen and inhabitants of coastal villages still follow the traditional practices of preserving anchovies in salt, passed on from one generation to the next.

This activity is therefore well established in the culture of the Ligurian coast, but it is also part of the memories of the numerous international tourists visiting Ligurian sea resorts.

The climate of the Tyrrhenian coast of Liguria is characterised by mild temperatures all year around, which are ideal for a natural maturation process of the product. The limited temperature variation along the coast, influenced by the homoeothermal conditions of the sea, favours optimal maturation.

Indeed, the Alps and Apennines rising sharply from sea level are a strong barrier to northerly cold winds and insulate the coastal area. It is not a coincidence that Liguria's mild climate is known all over the world.