Ponza, the "surly and beautiful" island, "withdrawn, suspicious and never predictable", which the great poet Eugenio Montale defined as "a paradise on earth" relies on Food to expand the tourist season which today, according to its extraordinary seascapes and its unique backdrops in central Italy, is concentrated in the summer months. But Ponza, in addition to seaside tourism, has a lot to give starting with the culture, the places, the people who populate it and the local agri-food excellence, its biodiversity.
It is under the banner of this motto that an event entitled: "Discovering Aeaea" has been developed which, taking inspiration from the name that Homer gave to the island in the Odyssey, and therefore referring to its long history, proposes as a widespread experience aimed at favoring the seasonal adjustment of tourism and, at the same time, at promoting the native resources of the island and the traditional agri-food excellences typical of the local tradition and that of lower Lazio with an absolute protagonist, Biancolella the only autochthonous ungrafted vine.
In fact, few know that this island has been a wine producer since the first settlements of noble Roman families. According to popular stories, Biancolella arrived there following a colony of 52 Ischia families, 153 people in all, who landed on the island in the XNUMXth century, which remained totally uninhabited for two centuries due to the continuous raids by Saracen pirates. But recent research has ascertained that there are evident biological differences between the more famous Biancolella of Ischia and that of Ponza. And here someone hazards the hypothesis that Biancolella from Ponza has gladdened the abundant libations of the inhabitants of the island since Roman times. Be that as it may today, the only Biancolella recognized outside the borders of Ischia is the one from Ponza. Biancolella IGT, a "heroic" wine so defined for its impossible cultivation conditions, with the vines perched on steep terrain almost perched on the rocks that can only be reached by mules, today it is essentially produced by the Antiche Cantine Migliaccio, in Punta Fieno, at which arrive by sea or along an impervious mule track, which produce hay awarded with the "Three bunches" by the Gambero Rosso Guide; from the Pouchain Taffuri cellars which even produce a fine Mediterranean sparkling wine “Don Ferdinando”, and from the Casale del Giglio farm which produces the Faro della Guardia, a pure biancolella that Daniele Cernilli describes in these terms: “measured and elegant nose, delicate floral notes of orange blossom, hawthorn, anise and mint”.
The "Discovering Eea" program conceived and edited by the journalist Tiziana Briguglio for the Pro Loco of Ponza also aims to demonstrate that food is born in the earth and not in the kitchen. And as such it must be studied, transformed, offered and told. From here a series of initiatives aimed at the knowledge of the territories, of the cultivation, breeding and fishing techniques in collaboration with the "Carlo Pisacane" Institute of Ponza and the "Filosi" Hotel Institute of Terracina, which proposes itself as a real "walking chair" in which the convivial moment is mixed with teaching
The scheduled events, which have the characteristic of real narrating itineraries, include: conferences on the valorisation of native resources - trekking routes with visits to cellars and vineyards - gourmet appointments - literary salons - extreme picnics - visits to the scenic beauties of the island – tastings of the wines of the Bourbon lands – fishing tourism. Great attention is also paid to the knowledge and protection of fish species with lessons from the veterinary surgeon Tiziana Zottola and underwater excursions extraordinarily guided by the marine biologist Adriano Madonna.
Also very interesting are the comparative tastings of Biancolella, the visit to the Museum of Ancient Artisan Workshops and the traditional cooking workshops held by chef Assunta Scarpati (Slow Food snail), which are surrounded by the stories in the book by Silverio Mazzella: "Ponza, cuisine tradition and new trends” and the book by Maddalena Baldini: “Stories of a teetotaler taster” (Trenta Editore).
And speaking of food, it can be observed that if Ponza is an island, in reality the typical dishes of its gastronomic tradition range from the sea to the land and vice versa. Starting from the Spaghetti with fellone crab, which would actually be a spider crab, whose pulp is seasoned with garlic, parsley and cherry tomatoes; to continue with the lentil soup, considerably smaller than the traditional ones but froml unmistakable flavour; or with the soup with the cwild circle,very delicate. If the catch is a culinary must, with Pezzogne that take on a tasty flavor in this sea, you cannot help but eat the Ponzese-style rabbit, cooked with garlic, bay leaves, wine and cherry tomatoes, a must., accompanied if anything, from a Cianfrotta made with aubergines, courgettes, peppers, potatoes and onions. And to top it off, nothing better than a Casatiello, a sweet with delicate tones that the 153 settlers certainly brought with them from the original Neapolitan countryside or the Zeppola: made with flour, salt, milk and anise liqueur.
The annual event enjoys the patronage of the Chamber of Commerce of Latina, the Municipality of Ponza, the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lazio and Tuscany, Arsial, the Bio Campus Foundation, Confcommercio Lazio Sud and is part of the initiatives for the tenth edition of the Vinicibando nomadic food fair, scheduled for next November.
First&Food's suggestion:
Calamari 'mbuttunati of Assunta
"A casa di Assunta" is a restaurant housed in a historic Ponzese house with a panoramic terrace overlooking the enchanting Bourbon port. In the kitchen, Assunta Scarpati, a true character, very popular in Ponza, inherited from her father, "master of bolentino and trolling inventor of the guardian lead", an almost religious passion for cooking fish. Her menu features traditional dishes revisited with panache and passion.
At the House of Assunta
Via Aversano, 04027 Ponza LT
0771 820086 - 338 8041766
Email: assunta.scarpati@virgilio.it
Recipe for 4 people:
4 squids (about 800 g) gutted and skinned
3 eggs
80 g of parmesan
40 g of pine nuts and raisins
the squid tentacles cut into small pieces
salt and pepper
parsley and its stems
a clove of garlic
70 g extra virgin olive oil
half a glass of white wine
600 g peeled tomatoes passed through a vegetable mill
hot pepper "cerasiello"
In a bowl, beat the eggs with Parmesan, salt, pepper, plenty of parsley leaves, raisins with pine nuts, tentacles. Put a drizzle of oil in a pan and make a very soft omelette, just congealed. Stuff the squid and close the end with a toothpick. In a saucepan, put the oil and the garlic over a very low heat and brown them well, add the squid and brown them quickly, deglaze with half a glass of white wine and let the wine evaporate.
At this point add the tomato, the chilli pepper, the parsley stalks and simmer slowly over a low heat for about an hour without a lid and 3/4 of the cooking season with salt. With the sauce obtained you can season both dry and fresh pasta in any format but Assunta recommends spaghetti, paccheri and tagliatelle.
