Antiche Mele dell'Alto Friuli
Alto Friuli Heirloom Apples
Friuli has grown apples since Roman times, but the orchards proper came between the late 1700s and early 1800s in the hills and mountains, and from the end of the 19th century to the First World War the region shipped fruit to Austria and the rest of northern Europe, to Egypt and to the United States. Some varieties were native; others came home in the luggage of Friulian emigrants, as grafts and seed. The names record how they looked (Ruggine Dorata, Striato Dolce, Blancon), when they ripened (Rosso Invernale), where they were found (Zeuka di Treppo, Giallo di Priuso) or who kept them (Marc Panara).
Designation
- Certification
- Slow Food Presidium
- Category
- Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed
Where it is made
the hills and mountains of upper Friuli
How it is made
Modern varieties have replaced most of them and many now survive as a few trees. Of those still grown: Di Corone, red, conical, firm and crisp, picked late in October like Striato Dolce and the dark wine-red, flattened, less sweet Rosso Invernale; Gialla di Priuso, golden and tart, keeping to January; Ruggine Dorata, very sweet, yellow with a russet blush and a wrinkled skin, and the conical Blancon, both of them best cooked.