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Marrone del Mugello PGI Link to product report The cultivation of chestnut trees in the Mugello area in the province of Florence dates back to the Roman period, but documentation and sure news regarding the diffusion and expansion of the cultivation are already present in the middle Ages. In the course of the centuries other numerous and important local traditions have been associated to the chestnut tree and fruit, so much as to speak of the existence of a one and only “chestnut civilisation”. Apart from this, the chestnut trees of the areas until the end of the fifties have made up one if the most important alimentary fonts for the local populations, and the chestnut became “the tree of the bread”. After a period of strong regression, during which the population was halved and resulted in the changes of the food habitudes, the 80s welcome a diffused expansion of the sectors, favoured the knowledge that chestnuts makes up the only font of money making, but also a collective patrimony, extremely important from the historic, environmental, landscape and tourist point of view. How it is consumed The goodness of the chestnut can be tasted in the autumn period. The fruits, which can be boiled or cooked, can be accompanied by delicious Moscati wines. How it is conserved To obtain a good preservation, the marrone di Mugello must be kept in a fresh place and consumed before 10 days of the best before date.
How it is produced The chestnuts produced in the Mugello area must be produced using cultivation techniques which confer the specific characteristics of quality to the product. After harvesting, usually done manually, the chestnuts must be put on the market as a fresh product as from the 5th of October of each year, without any treatment, or to better its conservability, they are immersed in cold water for not more than 8 days, without adding additives; they can also be sterilized in warm water and successively immersed in cold water. The end product (from a dry state in the shell, unshelled) is obtained from drying on open fire, where chestnut wood is exclusively burnt. How it is known To assure the genuineness of the product, each package bears a particular mark with the script: “Marrone di Mugello Igp” (Pgi Mugello Chestnut) and provides size, weight, year of production and packaging date. Product report
| Categories | Dried fruit from a variety of Marrone fiorentino variety |
| Description | The fresh Marrone del Mugello has an average-large size and an ellipse-like form, with a lowly pronounced apex. It has a lateral flat face while the other face is more convex; the base is rectangular, usually flat and the colour is lighter. The skin has 25-30 striations which are more darker in colour, and easily peeled. The pulp has a surface which is free from furrows and is white and crispy |
| Characteristics | The seeds of the Marrone del Mugello have a very sweet and pleasant taste |
| Production zone | The area of production covers part of the land of the province of Florence, and corresponds to an area of the Mugello, and the districts of Dicomano, Marradi, Palazzuolo sul Senio e parte del territorio dei Comuni di Borgo Lorenzo, Firenzuola, Londa, Rufina, Godenzo, Scarperia e Vicchio di Mugello |
| Present on market | Autumn |
| Normative references | European Registration with Council Regulation (CE) n. 12633/96 issued on GUCE L163/96 2nd July 1996 |
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