APULICA / FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND PULSES
Clementine di Calabria (clementines)
PGI · Fruit, vegetables and pulses · Calabria
In brief
- They are grown in 67 municipalities across Calabria's five provinces, mainly on the plains and coasts. (Qualigeo — Clementine di Calabria IGP)
- They are harvested once a year between October and February, and the mild climate ripens them as early as the start of October. (Qualigeo — Clementine di Calabria IGP)
- The trees are kept away from mandarins to avoid cross-pollination, so the fruit stays seedless or nearly so. (Qualigeo — Clementine di Calabria IGP)
History and origin
The clementine is a cross between the common mandarin and the bitter orange. It owes its name to a priest, Father Clément Rodier, who in the early twentieth century spotted the plant at the Misserghin mission near Oran, in Algeria; its origin is still debated, however, and the botanist Tanaka likened it to the Canton mandarin.
In Calabria cultivation spread between 1930 and 1950. Here the fruit found an ideal setting and within a few decades became a stable crop, important to the economy and the customs of the countryside. According to the Region, Calabria is now Italy's leading producer of clementines.
The protection consortium describes the Clementine di Calabria as a product unique in history, environment, cultivation and handling. The name is protected in Europe as a Protected Geographical Indication, covering the fruit of certain cultivars and selections grown in Calabria's five provinces.
Sources: Qualigeo — Clementine di Calabria IGP · ARSAC — Regione Calabria, le produzioni ortofrutticole di qualità (comunicato sulla DOP Cedro) · ARSAC (Regione Calabria) — I prodotti DOP, IGP e PAT della Calabria · eAmbrosia — Clementine di Calabria (PGI-IT-1548)
Area and method of production
The production area covers 67 municipalities in the provinces of Reggio Calabria, Catanzaro, Cosenza, Vibo Valentia and Crotone, with orchards mainly on the plains and along the coasts. The largest plantings are in the Sibari plain, the Gioia Tauro plain, the Lamezia plain and the Locride.
The trees are mostly grown with a full canopy. The specification requires clementine orchards to be kept apart from mandarin trees, because cross-pollination would produce fruit with seeds; it also sets the maximum planting density and yield per hectare.
Harvesting takes place once a year, between October and February, since the different varieties ripen at different times. According to the Consortium, Calabria's mild, steady climate brings out the fruit's qualities and brings ripening forward, as early as the beginning of October.
Sources: Qualigeo — Clementine di Calabria IGP · ARSAC (Regione Calabria) — I prodotti DOP, IGP e PAT della Calabria
How to recognise it
Clementine di Calabria are spherical, slightly flattened at the poles, with a diameter between 50 and 69 millimetres. The peel is smooth, thin and rich in oil glands, orange over at least two thirds of its surface; it comes away easily, as do the segments.
The flesh is orange, juicy, almost melting and aromatic, seedless or with very few seeds. The specification requires at least 40 per cent juice, and the fruit is rich in vitamin C and mineral salts.
On sale they come in sealed packs bearing the name Clementine di Calabria, the words Protected Geographical Indication and the EU symbol, or loose in containers showing the same information. In the fridge they keep their qualities for weeks.
Sources: Qualigeo — Clementine di Calabria IGP · ARSAC (Regione Calabria) — I prodotti DOP, IGP e PAT della Calabria
In the kitchen
The clementine is eaten mainly fresh and fully ripe: at breakfast, after a meal, as a snack. The segments go into fruit salads and salads, and the juice is fresh and thirst-quenching.
The fruit is made into juices, also blended with other citrus, sorbets, syrups, marmalades and candied peel, with or without chocolate, as well as clementine liqueur. Seasonal fruit desserts include orange and clementine cake and clementine and ricotta mousse. Clementine marmalade is also listed among Calabria's traditional food products.
The fruit even reaches first courses: Qualivita mentions tagliolini with courgettes and clementines, with pistachios, shallot, white wine, extra virgin olive oil and mint. Its use is also growing in pastry, ice cream and liqueurs.
Sources: ARSAC (Regione Calabria) — I prodotti DOP, IGP e PAT della Calabria · Qualigeo — Clementine di Calabria IGP
Where to taste it
From October to February clementines bring colour to Calabria's great citrus plains. On the Ionian coast of Cosenza the Sibari plain is one of the main centres, and its tradition is also recognised in the list of traditional products as Clementine della Piana di Sibari: this is the landscape around Corigliano-Rossano, between the sea and the slopes of the Sila.
On the Tyrrhenian side cultivation is concentrated in the Gioia Tauro and Lamezia plains, while to the south, on the Ionian coast of Reggio, lies the Locride. In all these areas clementines are found fresh in the harvest months, alongside marmalades, juices and candied fruit made from them.
A trip to Calabria in autumn or winter, when the air is mild and the orchards are laden, is a chance to taste them freshly picked where they grow.
Sources: ARSAC (Regione Calabria) — I prodotti DOP, IGP e PAT della Calabria · Qualigeo — Clementine di Calabria IGP
Protection
- Protected geographical indication (PGI) — PGI-IT-1548 (eAmbrosia — Clementine di Calabria (PGI-IT-1548))
When
- Harvest: January–February, October–December (Qualigeo — Clementine di Calabria IGP)
- Winter
- Autumn