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APULICA / FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND PULSES

Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele (cauliflower)

PGI · Fruit, vegetables and pulses · Campania

Apulica editorial team · Sources checked:

In brief

History and origin

Cauliflower has been tied for centuries to the fertility of the Sele plain and its farming tradition: the first records of its cultivation date back to the sixteenth century. The favourable climate and fertile soils of the plain, lying between the Amalfi Coast and the Cilento coast, have steadily increased production over time, driven by consumer appreciation.

The specification describes this bond as a reputation built on quality: the continuous growth of production over the years and the product's renown on Italian and European markets.

Recognition as a Protected Geographical Indication came in 2024, with the specification published in Italy's Official Gazette in July of that year, crowning a product that has crossed the centuries while keeping its character.

Sources: Qualigeo — Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP · Regione Campania — Disciplinare di produzione Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP (GU n. 166 del 17-07-2024) · Regione Campania — Prodotti tipici: Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP

Area and method of production

The area includes ten municipalities in the province of Salerno: Albanella, Altavilla Silentina, Battipaglia, Bellizzi, Capaccio Paestum, Eboli, Giungano, Montecorvino Pugliano, Montecorvino Rovella and Pontecagnano Faiano.

The plain's climate is tempered by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and sheltered from cold winds by the Alburni range to the north-east; the deep soils are of volcanic and alluvial origin. Thanks to the range of altitudes, the hill areas also produce between May and September, while the plain covers autumn and winter, from October to April: this is why the cauliflower is harvested all year round.

Seedlings with four or five leaves are transplanted at a density of 1.6-2 plants per square metre, with compulsory crop rotation. Harvest is by hand, with a maximum yield of 40 tonnes per hectare; before packing, the stalk is cut to one centimetre and loose outer leaves are removed.

Sources: Qualigeo — Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP · Regione Campania — Disciplinare di produzione Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP (GU n. 166 del 17-07-2024) · Regione Campania — Prodotti tipici: Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP

How to recognise it

The specification allows many varieties and hybrids of Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, with cycles of 70 to 215 days, and each cauliflower shows the shape and colour of its variety. The curd is rounded, at least 13 centimetres across, intact and unblemished.

Its texture is firm, compact and crisp; on the palate it is sweet and delicate. The required parameters include a sugar reading of at least 8.7 degrees Brix, dry matter above 6 per cent and more than 50 milligrams of vitamin C per kilogram.

It is sold fresh with full leaves, crowned, half-crowned, trimmed or bare, or ready to eat as a fresh-cut product.

Sources: Regione Campania — Prodotti tipici: Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP · Qualigeo — Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP · Regione Campania — Disciplinare di produzione Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP (GU n. 166 del 17-07-2024)

In the kitchen

Its compact texture keeps it crisp even after cooking and brings out its sweet flavour, which makes it a very versatile vegetable.

In traditional recipes it is eaten boiled or in soups; in more recent dishes it becomes a filling for ravioli, flans and velvety soups. The specification highlights its good resistance to cooking among the product's qualities.

It keeps in the fridge and is best brought back to room temperature shortly before cooking. It is also rich in vitamin C and magnesium. It is also sold washed, cut and packed in trays or bags, ready for everyday cooking.

Sources: Qualigeo — Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP · Regione Campania — Disciplinare di produzione Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP (GU n. 166 del 17-07-2024)

Where to taste it

The Sele plain is a large farming plain between Battipaglia, Eboli and Capaccio Paestum, and cauliflower can be seen in its fields almost all year, in the hills in summer and on the plain from October to April.

The same towns also grow the Carciofo di Paestum PGI: a trip between late winter and spring lets you discover both, together with the temples of Paestum.

The Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and the Alburni mountains to the north-east frame this farming landscape, set between the Amalfi Coast and the Cilento: two destinations that, with the plain in between, make up a journey of sea, countryside and archaeology.

Sources: Qualigeo — Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP · Regione Campania — Disciplinare di produzione Cavolfiore della Piana del Sele IGP (GU n. 166 del 17-07-2024) · Qualigeo — Carciofo di Paestum IGP

Protection

When

Where

Campania