Cedro di Santa Maria del Cedro (citron)

History and origin

The citron is one of the oldest citrus fruits of the Mediterranean, and on the upper Tyrrhenian coast of Cosenza province it found such a suitable home that a whole stretch of shoreline is named after it, the Riviera dei Cedri. According to the Qualivita Foundation, cultivation in Calabria was established as early as the third to second century BC, brought by Hellenised Jewish communities who followed the routes of the Greek colonists.

The bond with Jewish tradition is still alive: the fruit is one of the symbols of the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, and the Consorzio del Cedro di Calabria traces its story from the biblical texts to the colonies of Magna Graecia. The Municipality of Diamante recalls that rabbis came to the coast to choose the fruit for the festival, mostly for communities in Israel and the United States.

The emblematic town is Santa Maria del Cedro, which took this name in 1968, replacing Cipollina. In 2023 the fruit was entered in the European register as a Protected Designation of Origin, after a long process backed by the Consortium and the Region.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Cedro di Santa Maria del Cedro DOP · Consorzio del Cedro di Calabria — Il cedro e la tradizione ebraica · Comune di Diamante — Diamante in pillole · ARSAC — Denominazione di Origine Protetta per il Cedro di Santa Maria del Cedro · eAmbrosia — Cedro di Santa Maria del Cedro (PDO-IT-02847)

Area and method of production

The production area covers eighteen municipalities in Cosenza province along the upper Tyrrhenian coast: among them Tortora, Praia a Mare, San Nicola Arcella, Scalea, Santa Maria del Cedro, Diamante, Belvedere Marittimo, Cetraro and Sangineto, along with some inland towns such as Orsomarso, Papasidero and Verbicaro. The variety is the liscia-diamante of Citrus medica, which the Consortium also calls Italian or Calabrian.

The specification describes a patient kind of farming. The plants are trained as low, open vases, with branches resting on a pergola that carries the weight of the large fruit, and they are covered with shade nets against cold and wind. Where needed, a scrap of cloth, paper, cane or a leaf is slipped between two fruits so that the peel stays smooth. The citron groves are so low that nobody can stand upright under the nets.

Picking is done only by hand and in stages: the main harvest runs from 15 October to 15 December, the late one from 15 February to 30 April.

Sources: ARSAC (Regione Calabria) — I prodotti DOP, IGP e PAT della Calabria · Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Cedro di Santa Maria del Cedro DOP · Consorzio del Cedro di Calabria — Nascita e sviluppo

How to recognise it

The Cedro di Santa Maria del Cedro is oval with a pointed tip and a smooth, firm outer peel of intense green that turns lemon yellow as it ripens; it is sometimes lobed or ribbed, but must have no scratches or cracks. Beneath the peel lies a very thick white albedo, which the specification measures at 51 to 85 per cent of the fruit's cross-section.

The flesh is pale yellow verging on green, with an intense, tart flavour, and the whole fruit has a penetrating aromatic scent. Weight ranges from 250 to 600 grams and more: on sale, fruits above 600 grams are first category, those between 250 and 600 second category.

The fresh fruit is available from 15 October to the end of January for the main harvest and from mid-February to the end of May for the late one; it may be packed and labelled one by one.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Cedro di Santa Maria del Cedro DOP · ARSAC (Regione Calabria) — I prodotti DOP, IGP e PAT della Calabria

In the kitchen

The citron is enjoyed processed rather than raw. Its signature form is candied peel, eaten on its own, coated in chocolate or diced into cakes. Riviera tradition includes panicelli, little parcels of citron leaves holding raisins and candied peel, tied and baked: the Municipality of Diamante notes that D'Annunzio himself called them a delight.

The fruit also gives cedrata, a soft drink, marmalade, liqueurs and creams, granitas and ice creams. The Consortium promoted an extra virgin olive oil flavoured with citron, and diced candied peel enriches the crocette, the cross-shaped dried figs that are another classic of Cosenza province.

In the kitchen citron goes mainly with fish and white meat. The taste for it is old: the Consortium recalls that Apicius, in De re coquinaria, already gave recipes flavoured with citron.

Sources: ARSAC (Regione Calabria) — I prodotti DOP, IGP e PAT della Calabria · Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Cedro di Santa Maria del Cedro DOP · Comune di Diamante — Diamante in pillole · Consorzio del Cedro di Calabria — Gastronomia

Where to taste it

The natural place to discover the citron is the Riviera dei Cedri, between Tortora and Sangineto. In the old centre of Santa Maria del Cedro the Consortium set up the Citron Museum, with panels on the stages of production and the history of the fruit, an art trail of ceramic panels and an archaeological route linked to Laos, a colony of Magna Graecia.

Diamante, a few kilometres away, is the main town of the Riviera and keeps up the craft production of candied citron and citron liqueur; this is where to try panicelli. The Consortium also mentions the food and culture event "Il Cedro nella Riviera", devoted to the fruit.

Driving along the coast you see the citron groves covered by green nets, a sight ARSAC suggests admiring from the top of the hills. A trip on the Tyrrhenian coast of Cosenza, perhaps starting from the Pollino mountains, combines the sea, the villages and this ancient fruit.

Sources: Consorzio del Cedro di Calabria — Le origini · Consorzio del Cedro di Calabria — Museo del Cedro · Comune di Diamante — Diamante in pillole · Consorzio del Cedro di Calabria — Gastronomia · ARSAC (Regione Calabria) — I prodotti DOP, IGP e PAT della Calabria

Protection

• Protected designation of origin (PDO) — PDO-IT-02847 (eAmbrosia — Cedro di Santa Maria del Cedro (PDO-IT-02847))

When

• The sources consulted give no months.

Where

Calabria

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