The climate of Mediterranean nature, with mild winters and hot summers, with winter averages hovering around 10 degrees, while summer ones do not reach 30, has thrown into this vast area of the Sicilia in the province of Caltanissetta between the Erei mountains and the slopes of the Iblei mountains, the foundations for a thriving agriculture of wheat, tomatoes, grapes, olives and citrus fruits and, above all, artichokes.
In the middle of a plateau 332 meters above sea level the city of Niscemi, with a great history and more recent turbulent administrative events, dominates the vast plain of Gela, where high quality artichokes have always been grown to the point that they are often called the “capital of artichokes” e the annual Artichoke Festival which is held every year in the month of April attracts many enthusiasts by animating an important gastronomic tourism. The heart of the festival is the large tasting area where sales and tasting counters are set up where you can appreciate all the culinary variations of the artichoke, the protagonist of the local gastronomy.
The caciucculata: ancient specialty with breadcrumbs, garlic, anchovies and pecorino cheese
One dish in particular much loved by the local population is e the "caciucculata" which is prepared by cooking artichokes with breadcrumbs, garlic, anchovies and pecorino cheese, but there are also very interesting traditional recipes that see marry artichokes with fish recipes because if it is true that Niscemi it is on a plateau overlooking the plain of the Sele it is also true that the sea is about twenty kilometers away and therefore the sea and the land are in constant dialogue during the festival. From this year the city can now place an important recognition in its cap, the artichoke of Niscemi has become part of the Slow Food presidia.
A century ago, it was carried on the back of a mule to Caltagirone and then by train to the general markets of Rome
Thanks to the climate and the geological structure characterized by Miocene clay hills, covered by a large mantle of Pliocene sands, calcareous tuffs and conglomerates, the Niscemi artichokes have always been appreciated throughout the Sicilia and already from the last century they reached the general markets of Rome. traveling by train from Caltagirone, about twenty kilometers north of Niscemi, after being transported on the back of a mule or in carts from the fields where they were grown.
With the current recognition, Sicily is confirmed as the Italian region with the most Slow Food biodiversity protection projects: there are in fact 51.
The Niscemi artichoke, formerly nicknamed vagghiàrdu (“gagliardo” in dialect) for the vigorous appearance of the plant, has no thorns; the flower heads have the shape of a goblet, the bracts, i.e. the "leaves", are light green in color with violet hues. The the heart of the artichoke is compact, with a delicate and sweet flavour, and the presence of pappus or "beard" is scarce, which is why the waste is very small.
In the kitchen it can be eaten raw, in salads, or boiled and then dipped in a dressing of extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and chilli pepper, or again in risottos, for example combined with mint. The traditional recipe, however, calls for roasted artichokes: cooked over embers and then seasoned with oil and salt, possibly with the addition of pepper, garlic and parsley. A tradition handed down for decades: the farmers used to eat roasted artichokes in the fields, cooking them on the charcoal produced by the small fires lit to warm up on the cold working mornings. Finally, the tradition of 'a carciofina is widespread, the typical Sicilian preserve obtained from the hearts of the small artichokes of March and April, the latest ones.
A particular ecotype, with a delicate flavour, which must be consumed within two to three days of harvesting
«Historically – says Valentina Maria Vaabout, trustee of the Slow Food Niscemi – Terre del Maroglio Convivium Niscemi it is the capital of the artichoke, here there are many producers who are dedicated to this cultivation». So why start a Slow Food Presidium to defend it? Because the object of the Presidium is a particular ecotype, the autochthonous one of the city: they call it nostrale to distinguish it from the varieties that have taken over the fields in the area in recent decades, such as the violet of Provence and the Roman artichoke.
«Ours is an artichoke that hasn't had the commercial fortune of the others, simply because it's delicate – continues Vacirca -. When it is harvested it must be consumed within two or three days, otherwise its appearance tends to spoil.' The flavor remains very good, assures the trustee of the company Slow Food Conduct, but becomes less vigorous and turgid, thus paying the price of a competition that often also passes from appearance. “It's like a flower that, once picked, withers within a few days. In short, it suffers from this aesthetic problem of conservation, but which does not affect the organoleptic qualities». Thus, thanks to the advance of more resistant varieties, ours has almost been lost.
Slow Food Presidium: a job opportunity for young people to fight local depopulation
Il project which led to the birth of Slow Food Presidium of the Niscemi artichoke it took a long time: «We have been working on it for several years» recalls Giuseppe Stimolo, former trustee of the Niscemi – Terre del Maroglio Convivium. There are currently two producers involved, but the audience of potentially interested growers is much wider: «Niscemi is a city with a strongly agricultural – he adds – not only linked to the production of artichokes but also of early produce such as tomatoes and peppers» and the first two producers of the Presidium have already expressed their willingness to supply ovoli free of charge to others to expand production. Hope, however, as the president of Slow Food Sicily, Fabio Di Francesco points out, is also another: involve girls and boysby offering them the possibility to work land in the places where they were born, instead of migrating elsewhere in search of fortune: «In addition to making a product safe from an agronomic point of view, the Presidia that are born in the small villages and inland areas of Sicily are invaluable because they can represent an economic opportunity. I hope that of the Niscemi artichoke have a fort social impact on the territory, that is, which helps to fight the depopulation that is particularly felt in this area».
