We’ve been hearing it on the news, reading it in the papers: acquire Castelluccio lentils, Norcia salami, prosciutto and capocollo and pecorino cheeses as an economic support to those in the Umbrian southeastern mountain areas hit by the late October earthquakes. Many farmers and breeders are now in campers or tents near their animal stalls or close to their warehouses where their cheeses and prosciutti are aging. They refuse to move to pre-fab settlements or hotels.
Like Tommaso, from Cascia, sleeping with his wife in a car now. “They gave us a camper but we prefer that our elderly stay there,” he told us when we stopped at his stand at the Valtopina Mostra Mercato del Tartufo. Outside Valtopina, tiny mountain hill town east of us, this late November culinary festival fêting black truffles draws us ever year – and this time around, we’d decided that food purchases should be from vendors of the quake areas, who’ve taken an economic wallop.
The stand of Tommaso and his wife
Valtopina’s mayor joined in our chat with Tommaso about the earthquake’s devastating financial repercussions. We wanted to purchase sheep’s milk cheese and after Tommaso offered us tastes of a couple, we chose a pecorino aged about eighteen months. Wild boar sausages, capocolli, prosciutti, and endless varieties of salami – with black truffles, too, of course! – flanked the cheeses. Jars of truffles and packages of the mountain legumes of the Cascia/Norcia were alongside the salamis.
And before we headed on to the next stand, Pino spotted Tommaso’s coppiette di maiale – and I’ve never been able to find an accurate translation – chewy dried pork strips, a specialty of the Latium region and not easy to find in our area. A package joined the pecorino in our bag.
We wandered the food stands offering up Umbrian goodness: chestnuts, wines, olive oils, typical bread, cheeses…
…and of course, truffles were on sale, too, the “star of the show.” A giant black truffle – weighing nearly a pound – took center stage but ah, that white truffle che profumo!
Truffles take center stage at the Valtopina culinary festival
A good-sized prized white truffle and a one-pound black truffle
Father and daughter team to sell their truffles
Pino takes a whiff of the black truffle
…and then he has to take in the bouquet of the prized white….
Before we left, we stopped at another stand of a breeder living near Cascia, earthquake area. A last solidarity gesture: we bought their goat cheese.
“Well, our homes have damage but the stalls are secure…and cheese; making goes on…” la signora tells Pino as we buy her cheese
Across the aisle, varieties of olives of the region of Puglia tempted. We bought the giant green ones spiced up with peperoncino. No earthquakes in Puglia so this was not a “solidarity purchase.”
But how to pass up those olives?
Read about another visit to Valtopina’s Mostra Mercato del Tartufo
Read about Umbrian truffle hunters
Read about enjoyment of the good flavors of Umbria as earthquake solidarity
Read about a typical Norcia pasta dish as earthquake solidarity
Click here to read about a favorite eating spot in Valtopina
Read about Giove near Valtopina – and restoration by Pino’s team
Click here to read about a Giove feast
Truffles, olives, breads. oil, meats, wine and cheeses – I could live right there!
Beautiful displays…..
Fabulous pictures of the real Italy! Your descriptions make us feel like we’re there…but then I come back to reality…Hopefully next time.