Gastronomy of the Piceno and Province of Macerata: a Mosaic of tastes

The gastronomy of the Piceno and Province of Macerata reflects the peculiarities of a territory that, although having rather small dimensions, presents marked differences in landscape and geography.

Upon leaving the vicinity of the sea, one already finds oneself at the foot of majestic Appennine cliffs, crossed by a natural environment that slowly undergoes profound modifications. This is sufficient to give an idea of the variety of cuisine rich in different flavors, yet maintaining its genuineness substantially intact. The gastronomic tradition of the Piceno and province of Macerata has its roots in the rural lifestyle: for centuries, vegetables, legumes, potatoes have been the basic foods in the diet of the inhabitants of this land. There is a strong tradition of salami and cheese production. The most typical cheese is pecorino made from the milk of sheep.

The inestimable quality of the wines and oils produced in the Piceno and Macerata areas boasts antique origins and this frame has endured over the course of time.

The wine-producing industry counts among its treasures the DOC ( a guarantee of the Denomination of Origin) wines, Rosso Piceno Superiore, that comes from the territory of important Piceno towns, and Rosso Piceno, produced in a vast hilly area of the southern Marches. The denomination of the white Falerio dei Colli Ascolani name has quite a lengthy history . The most recent recognition of the DOC label has been granted to Offida, and its also includes the sub-denominations for the Rosso ( Red) and a series of Bianchi (Whites), which are produced in the area surrounding Offida.

The olive-producing industry has also enjoyed great fame throughout history, and this is aatested to by documents that date from the Middle Ages. An emblem of the Piceno territory is the special Olica Tenera Ascolana ( tender Ascolan olive), with which the delicious stuffed olives “ all’ascolana” are created.

Ascoli Piceno
Olive all’Ascolana (filled and fried olives).

The exquisite Ascolane olives first have to be big and juicy, then they are pitted and filled with a mixture of meat, liver and tomatoes. Finally, they are covered in bread crumbs and fried. These olives have become a classic for great appetizers.
But if you want to taste the real olives with their original recipe you have to come to the Marchegian city where this dish was born, centre of the ancient Piceni civilization.

Salami- "Ciavuscolo"

This particular "salami to spread" (also called "ciauscolo" and "ciabuscolo") is the most typical charcuterie of the Marches region. According to the traditional recipe, it should be processed with meat coming from the bacon, the entrecote, and the shoulder ham and to these should be added a considerable percentage of bacon fat (about the 50% of the product, even if sometimes it is less).

Cheese- "Pecorino dei Monti Sibillini"

The Park represents the ideal habitat to produce goat cheese. Here the pecora appenninica (Apennine goat) is bred. The technique to make this cheese is the same one used to produce mountain pecorino. Goatling' or lamb's rennet should be added to the milk (it has to be just milked). To an old technique milk had to be flavoured with some herbs before the curdling. After this process the cheese must be cooked and pressed. Now the maturing of the cheese begins. At the beginning of this new process the cheese should be often washed with lukewarm whey. Afterwards it should be put in fresh cellars. The cheese can stay here even two years.

Truffles- Valuable black truffles

It is commonly called "Tartufo Nero di Norcia e Spoleto". Tuber melanosporum Vittadini can be recognized from the other varieties (such as Tuber brumale Vittadini and Tuber aestivum Vittadini) thanks to its dark and rough rind and to its black pulp with white veins. Its dimensions can vary. Truffles have a delicate flavour. They can be gathered near oaks, hornbeams, hazels, holm-oaks between 1st December and 15th March.

Fruits-Mela Rosa dei Monti Sibillini

Mele Rosa were cultivated in this area since ancient times. They are small, irregular, green with shades of pink and red. Their pulp is acidulous and sugary, their smell is intense and aromatic. Its cultivation is now rare and the quantities produced are very few. Once they were gathered in the first ten days of October. They can be eaten till April because their pulp becomes softer.

Liqueurs and Distillates-"Mistrà"

In the countryside of the Marches, Mistrà is a traditional liqueur which is produced with green anise (very common on the Sibillini), wild fennel and fruits (apples and oranges).

PICENO AND MACERATA AREA WINES AND VINES

Falerio Colli Ascolani

In the Piceno province the cultivation of the vine goes back to remote times: according to some students it is dated before the Roman conquest.
It is very important, according to the oenologists, the equilibrium of the Falerio. Someone defines it a combination between the Verdicchio and the Bianchello, obviously for its organoleptic qualities. Disciplining laws attribute to the Trebbiano (in important measure) the force of this wine, calling other important vines (Pecorino, Passerina, Malvasia Tuscany, Verdicchio, Pinot bianco) to concur for a more modest share. 
The production zone is in the hilly territory of the province of Ascoli, excluding the high hilly and mountaineous zone as well as the bottom of the valley. This zone laps the province of Macerata until reaching the sea.

ROSSO PICENO

It is the most diffused wine in the Marches: its geographic territory encloses a very immense hilly-coastal zone of three provinces (Ancona, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno ). The Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno Superiore production areas are excluded.  
A wine of the ancient Piceni's lands who reached, with this " nectar of Gods ", high levels of quality and quantity. In fact many praises were done by the ancient authors about the Piceni wines .
Polibio, in describing the passage ofHannibal in the Piceno, says that with those old wines the general encouraged and cured the men and their horses.

ROSSO PICENO SUPERIORE

The geographic territory in which the Rosso Piceno Superiore is produced, is somewhat narrow: the zone is placed between Ascoli Piceno and San Benedetto del Tronto. In total there are 33 municipalities in the zone of production . 
They are sweet hills that, since 1977, have been covered from "the Rosso Piceno Superiore wine road", and, leaving Offida, it crosses Acquaviva Picena and it reaches San Benedetto.  
The ritual of the table in this zone has been always cultivated with loving promptness, as demonstrated from the existence of two academies; the "Picena Kitchen" and the"the Wine of Marca". 
The Rosso Piceno Superiore is part of disciplining  laws of the Rosso Piceno. 
It must be said that they are two very different wines , either for their characteristics or for their geographic area: that's why it has been thought opportune to deal with them  separately. 
The knowledge of the Rosso Piceno Superiore is not equal to its excellency. 
This wine shares its notoriety with the main plate of the zone: The mixed fried of Ascoli, an authentic specialty in which tower the stuffed olives. It's considered from many people a wine "in the whole meal ",as it is good either with strong sauce of meat or with live coal meat, the boiled meat and games. 

BIANCO DEI COLLI MACERATESI

"The Colli Maceratesi" was not born from a fracture with the past; on the contrary, it can be said that this wine has lived previous lives and it is  the result of a long and uninterrupted process of transformation and trasmigration. 
The modification to disciplining laws with the percentage increase of the Maceratino goes to this direction. It is less known than " more famous relatives", it can give great results as it has not anything to envy to these about the.