Best eaten freshly picked or in a delicate jam on toasted bread.
Origin
Galatone Apricot is a variety picked in the province of Lecce, Apulia, during the firsts two weeks of June. Galatone during the XX century was a meeting point for merchants and it seems that this specific variety of apricot with a strange color, yellow with pink and red shades, was very appreciated. The local people claim that “Li pitta Santo Luca”, Saint Luke paints the apricots. Unfortunately, this fruit is too delicate for the industrial process and it is doesn’t not resist transportation. Besides the fact that cultivations have long lives and its taste is special, its fragility make this apricot not so attractive for the market.
Cookit
The fresh and sweet taste make this variety ideal to make desserts. Perfect to prepare jams and marmalades since its consistency is so soft that it melts as soon as it’s in the mouth. A true delicacy is marmalade made with Galatone apricots and lavender. It can also be used to give a sweetish touch to main courses like meat or fish.
Did you know
It appears that Templars were the ones who brought this apricot during the Middle Ages, while returning from the crusades. Middle East is in fact the place where apricots find their origins. To go back to Europe, Templars used to stop in Apulia and, because of this, the Galatone apricot variety was created.
