Cilento is known for the enchanting atmosphere of its sea, for the grandeur of its archaeological settlements, for being the motherland of the olive tree, the elective territory of the buffaloes from which its mozzarella exported all over the world is obtained, for its recognized wines in Italy and abroad for their high level of excellence. But it has many other treasures to discover. One of these is a particular variety of chestnuts, the Marrone di Roccadaspide. Precious manuscripts, preserved in the archive of the Badia di Cava, they document the existence as early as 1183 of chestnut groves owned by the Badia in Cilento and so vast as to require the presence of a special administrator on site. Even the Basilian monks, so called because they were inspired by the rule of San Basilio, contributed to the significant diffusion of chestnut cultivation in Cilento, as confirmed by some archaeological finds in Moio della Civitella and Gioi Cilento.
Ed it is right in the heart of Cilento that the Marrone di Roccadaspide PGI is found, whose annual production averages around 4.000 tons, of which one of the distinctive features is the high sugar content which makes it appreciated also for fresh consumption and the crunchy and not very floury texture. The richness of the chestnut tree in these areas was not limited only to the production of the fruit: it was the main source of wood for construction, to create furniture, as well as firewood. And among the many legends that circulate on the name of the Municipality there is the one linked to the medieval word Asper which identified a vineyard post, precisely due to the presence of a forest in the area where these posts were worked and produced.
Chestnuts were once eaten by both the rich and the poor, both used as ingredients for the preparation of refined recipes, and eaten alone, also important in the diet of the poor due to their high nutritional value. From the chestnuts a flour is obtained which has the advantage of keeping for a long time without deteriorating and, therefore, adopted since Roman times as a reserve for armies in case of war.
The Marrone di Roccadaspide whose production area covers about 70 municipalities in the province of Salerno, it has a predominantly hemispherical or slightly ellipsoidal shape; large size, not exceeding 80-85 fruits per kilogram, while the skin is thin and brown-brown in colour, easily detachable. Even the seed has a thin, smooth, shallow episperm; the pulp is milky-white, firm, crunchy and not very floury. The product received the IGP denomination in 2008.
The Marrone di Roccadaspide, a chestnut with an exceptional fragrance, has a good shelf life: it is eaten fresh, in the form of flour or transformed by the confectionery industry into marron glacé, jams, Rum chestnuts and purees. Due to its large size, it is highly appreciated for its tasty roasted chestnuts and traditional local desserts that use these chestnuts as a quality raw material. Thanks to the milky-white pulp, the crunchy and not very floury consistency and the sweet taste that make it unique, the product is also used for the preparation of first courses or as a side dish for game main courses. From a dietary and nutritional point of view, Marrone di Roccadaspide is characterized by the high amount of carbohydrates and low protein content and is rich in potassium. Between the end of October and the first days of November, a festival is held every year during which you can taste chestnut-based dishes
The harvest is carried out in the autumn period no later than the first ten days of November, with shifts that do not exceed two weeks. It is done manually or with harvesting machines suitable for safeguarding the integrity of the product. To promote shelf life, the chestnuts are treated with the traditional “curatura” technique, i.e. they are immersed in cold water for nine days, during which the water is changed. Subsequently, the selected fruits are placed in airy rooms on layers of sand. The chestnuts intended for marketing in the dry state are dried on racks, over a slow and continuous fire, fueled by branches collected in bundles and wood of any essence, according to traditional local techniques.
Cilento is a sub-region of Campania that extends in the southernmost territory of the province of Salerno and is visited at different times of the year for its scenic beauty, in particular for the marvelous beaches surrounded by pine forests and for the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park, home to numerous excursions and sporting activities among paths that lead to rich places of suggestions from a cultural and naturalistic point of view, presenting to the visitor maritime, hilly, mountainous landscapes and archaeological areas of ancient times such as the archaeological sites of Paestum, Velia and the Certosa di Padula, included in 1998 in the list of World Heritage Sites of the Unesco.
