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Spadona pear

Pera Spadone | Flick on Food

The Spadona pear is sweet and slightly tart, and are the perfect pairing for pecorino and gorgonzola

Origin

This variety of pear has very old roots, even appearing in a fresco in the house of Mars and Venus in the ancient city of Herculaneum. The Spadona pear has an elongated and irregular shape that is fuller at the bottom. The skin is green even when fully ripe, but can have red spots on parts that were exposed to the sun. Production is widespread in the Roman town of Castel Madama. These pears are also known by the nickname “stubvaletta” or “stualetta”, after a farmer called “se Stualett” who seems to have produced them in that area in the first half of the 1800s. A delicious and fragrant hybrid was produced here, in quantities reaching almost 1.3 million kilograms. The Spadona pears from Salerno meanwhile, are considered the best pear cultivar in Campania. They have been grown for centuries in the areas around the Picentini mountains, the Salerno region, and then from here in the 1950s they also spread in Piana del Sele. The harvest occurs from the first ten days of August, and the fruit can’t be preserved for more than 20 days.

Cookit

The skin is thick and light green, while the yellow-white pulp is very juice and sweet with a slightly acidic aftertaste. It’s recommended for many pasta dishes, including as a filling in the ravioli-like ‘casoncelli bergamaschi’. They’re a perfect pair for especially sharp, strong flavored cheese like pecorino, gorgonzola or parmesan, or excellent for juicing. They are also used for making preserves and can be candied and dried.

Did you know that?

Since 1958, the Roman town of Castel Madama has held a festival for the Spadona pear. It’s a unique opportunity to travel back in time and taste traditional flavors, while learning about the cultivation techniques and practices that the people of the area have passed down for centuries. There are also exhibitions of local artists and artisans. This year, visitors could buy the Spadona pear “Extra Preserves”, which were created with the Slow Food organizations of Tivoli and Valle dell’Aniene.

Variety

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