Tinca Gobba Dorata del Pianalto di Poirino DOP
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Introduction
Here we continue our presentation of Italy's 155 products of Protected Designations of Origin (PDO, or, in Italian, DOP, Denominazione di Origine Protetta) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI, or IGP in Italian, Indicazione Geografica Protetta).
This month we present two types of fish, the Tinca Gobba Dorata del Pianalto di Poirino DOP from the lake waters of Piedmont, and the Acciughe Sotto Sale Del Mar Ligure IGP from the Ligurian Gulf, in the Mediterranean.
Tinca Gobba Dorata del Pianalto di Poirino DOP (Piedmont)
Protected Designations of Origin: Reg. CE N. 160 del 21.02.2008
Historic Notes
Back in the 13th century, the Tinca Gobba Dorata (Golden Hunchback Tinca) from Pianalto di Poirino was already grown in an area between the provinces of Turin and Cuneo, where there are numerous small artificial lakes to this day. Back then almost every peasant family had a peschiera, or tampa, respectively Italian and local dialect terms which define the ponds used as drinking troughs for the farm animals and/or water tank for the field's irrigation, where they farmed little schools of this type of fish for their own use.
To this day the rural landscape is dotted by a great quantity of peschiere (fish farms) of various sizes, usually located near houses or villages, where the tinche are farmed both for use by the owner and for sale.
Caracteristics
The Tinca Gobba Dorata del Pianalto di Poirino DOP is a clear water fish farmed in natural or man-made ponds. It is highly appreciated for the consistency of its lean, light, compact meat, as well as for the subtle flavor, less pronounced when compared to seafood.
The fish must be bred exclusively in monoculture, in existing ponds or in new clay basins within the production area as defined by the production rules. The baby fish are released in the peschiere, where they remain until they have reached the right size for whatever they have been destined for: repopulation, consumption, or reproduction.
The adult Tinca Gobba Dorata del Pianalto di Poirino DOP ready for consumption weighs about 100 grams (around 3.5 oz.) and its skin is a bright graphite-gray or opal green in the back, and golden yellow on the side.
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Production Zone:
The whole area of the municipality of Poirino, Isolabella and Pralormo in the province of Turin; Cellarengo the province of Asti, and Ceresole d'Alba in the province of Cuneo.
The municipalities of Carmagnola, Villastellone, Santena and Riva di Chieri in the province of Turin; Bandissero d'Alba, Montà d'Alba, Montaldo Roero, Monteu Roero, Pocapaglia, Sanfrè, S. Stefano Roero, Sommariva del Bosco and Sommariva Perno in the province of Cuneo; Dusino San Michele, Valfenera, Bottigliera d'Asti, S. Paolo Solbrito and Villanova d'Asti in the province of Asti, are included only partially.
Acciughe Sotto Sale Del Mar Ligure IGP (Lombardy)
Protected Designations of Origin: Reg. CE 776 del 4 agosto 2008
Acciughe del Mar Ligure (Anchovies from the Liguria Sea)
The Ligurian region has a long fishing tradition, as well as a fish conservation culture which allows for the preservation of the catch of the day, employing methods such as salt preservation.
Despite the oldest historic documents known to mention this type of fish preservation are relatively recent, local archeological digs have revealed that the process was already known in the 4th millennium BC.
Preparation of the acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure IGP (Salted Anchovies from the Liguria Sea IGP)
The oldest known historic mention of the preservation of anchovies under salt dates back to the medieval statutes of the independent marine cities of the current Ligurian region, in particular the city of Noli, which calls the technique pisce salsa. In the late Middle Ages, the salted anchovies from the Mar Ligure (Ligurian Sea) were bartered with the neghboring Piedmontese, who appreciated them so much that they make it the main ingredient of the bagna cauda, a Piedmontese traditional recipe.
Starting from the 16th century, the statutes of the most important marine villages along the Ligurian coast include numerous reiferences to the rules regulating the fishing techniques, transformation and marketing of the anchovies, both fresh and preserved under salt.
The acciughe sotto sale del Mar Ligure IGP are the result of preserving a typical variety of blue fish (Engraulis Encrasicolus L.) characterized by compact, soft meat, with color from intense pink to brown, and very defined flavor, with salt.
First the head and entrails are removed, then the anchovies are left to dry for a few hours. Afterward they are laid in layers, with a pattern like spokes radiating from a center, in oak barrels or in terracotta vases. Each anchovy layer is seasoned with marine salt and the upper layer is topped with a wooden disc, over which a 40 to 50 kilogram (88 to 110 pounds) weight is added.
The ageing lasts from 40 to 50 days. The optimal seasoning is obtained when the meat is compact and consistent, with color from intense pink to brown.
Once the salted anchovies are ready they are put into cylindrical glass containers called arbanelle.
- Production Zone:
The entire Ligurian coast.
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