Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio (Vesuvius cherry tomato)

History and origin

The piennolo cherry tomato is one of the oldest products of Campanian farming, so much so that it even appears among the figures of the Neapolitan nativity scene. Under one name it gathers old varieties and local biotypes selected over the decades by the farmers of the slopes of Vesuvius themselves, with popular names such as Fiaschella, Lampadina, Patanara, Principe Borghese and Re Umberto.

Written records are plentiful. In 1858 Bruni, in his treatise on the vegetables grown around Naples, describes very tasty cherry tomatoes that, tied and hung in the attic, keep perfectly until spring. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century professors of the Higher School of Agriculture in Portici described how it was grown and stored, and by then a whole economy had formed around this tomato, from seedlings to the sale of the preserved product.

The Protected Designation of Origin was recognised by the European Union in 2009.

Sources: Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura: Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP · Qualigeo — Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP · eAmbrosia — Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio (PDO-IT-0576)

Area and method of production

The area defined by the specification coincides with the Somma-Vesuvius volcanic complex, from its slopes almost down to the sea: it covers the whole territory of seventeen towns in the province of Naples, including Boscoreale, Ercolano, Ottaviano, Portici, Somma Vesuviana, Terzigno, Torre del Greco and Trecase, plus part of the town of Nola. Much of this land lies in Vesuvius National Park.

The tomato is grown only in open fields, on volcanic soils of pyroclastic material, with little irrigation water. The plants grow upright to about 80 centimetres, supported by stakes that keep the fruit off the ground. Harvest runs from late June to the second week of August, cutting whole clusters when at least 70% of the berries are red.

Then comes the piennolo: the clusters, called schiocche, are woven by hand onto a ring of plant-fibre string to form one large bunch, which is hung in dry, airy rooms and keeps the fruit for seven to eight months.

Sources: Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura: Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP · Qualigeo — Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP

How to recognise it

Fresh, the tomato is oval or slightly plum-shaped, with a pointed tip called the pizzo and often some ribbing near the stalk. The skin is thick and vermilion, the flesh firm, compact and low in water, almost crunchy to bite. Each berry weighs no more than 25 grams and the flavour is lively, intense and sweet-sour.

Stored al piennolo, it loses firmness but gains character: the skin turns dark red, the flesh stays firm and deep red, and a slightly bitter aftertaste appears. At the end of storage a piennolo weighs between one and five kilos.

Its lively acidity is the hallmark of the Vesuvius tomato. It comes from a wealth of organic acids and sugars, linked both to genetics and to volcanic soils and wide day-night temperature swings. It is sold fresh, al piennolo, and preserved as berries or clusters; tradition also has a jarred preserve called a pacchetelle.

Sources: Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura: Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP · Qualigeo — Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP

In the kitchen

The piennolo is a key ingredient of Neapolitan and Campanian cooking. Its place of honour is with the sea: in spaghetti with clams and other seafood, but also in fish and shellfish dishes, where its lively acidity gives the sauce personality.

Neapolitans especially value the tomato stored al piennolo to make intense sauces in winter, when the berries, hanging for months, have concentrated their flavour. Thanks to this natural storage the tomatoes can be eaten as they are until the spring after the harvest.

It also stars on pizza, to which it gives character, and local cooks use it in many other dishes. The a pacchetelle preserve, included in the specification, puts the tomatoes in jars following an old family recipe and keeps them ready for cooking all year round.

Sources: Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura: Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP · Qualigeo — Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP

Where to taste it

Piennolo country is the ring of towns around Vesuvius, largely within the National Park: from Ercolano and Torre del Greco on the seaward side to Ottaviano, Terzigno and Somma Vesuviana inland. Here the plots are small and scattered, spread along the volcano's slopes.

The selling season is long: fresh tomatoes are sold straight after picking at local markets from summer, while preserved piennoli last through the winter until spring. Most of the production is eaten right here, on the local market.

A visit to Vesuvius National Park or to the excavations of Herculaneum crosses the same land: in summer you see the fields and the harvest, in autumn and winter the hanging bunches, the sign of a farming tradition that carries on.

Sources: Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura: Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP · Qualigeo — Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP

Protection

• Protected designation of origin (PDO) — PDO-IT-0576 (eAmbrosia — Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio (PDO-IT-0576))

When

• Harvest: June–August (Qualigeo — Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP)
• Summer

Where

Campania

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