May, strawberry season, and Mother’s Day. Let us enjoy a food-and-wine journey and taste this delicious, passion red fruit, a strawberry heart as sweet as a Mum!
Wild strawberries from Nemi
In Nemi it is possible to taste two kinds of small and large strawberries: the round ones between May and June, and the oblong fruits from late spring to autumn.
The ancient legend of love, concerning the small, sweet-sour strawberry from Nemi, goes back to Nemus Nemòris, the sacred forest of the goddess Diana, reflected in the Lake, where Adonis was contested between Venus and Persephone. The latter, angered at the Venus provocations towards Adonis, asked for help from Mars, who turned into a wild boar and killed the young man. Venus tears, falling on Adonis blood, turned into small red hearts, the strawberries, appreciated by the Ancient Romans in honour of the handsome shepherd.
Tart with Nemi strawberries and Chantilly cream
In the Middle Ages, the travellers along the Southern Via Francigena enjoyed picking up these fresh fruits, which, today, are also used to prepare tarts with Chantilly cream. Close your eyes and savour their nuances! We can find many products of this delicious fruit, and, among them, the unique Fragolino. It is said that the sweet, aromatic flavour of this liqueur is released only if the wild strawberries are picked by hand. Who knows?
The Strawberry Festival in Nemi
In June, during the Festival, the fragolare collect the strawberries and carry them in procession through the streets of the small village of Nemi, in the Castelli Romani, wearing the traditional dress and the white mandrucella on their heads.
Favetta Strawberries from Terracina
The Favetta Strawberry arrived in Terracina in the Agro Pontino from France at the end of the 1950s. The fruit is told to be aphrodisiac, especially because of the enchanting Sorceress Circe, whose profile can be seen on top of Monte Circeo. The sweet, round red fruit is only grown in the Agro Pontino area, where its festival is celebrated between May and June.
Favetta Strawberries are preferred not only by the dessert and ice cream artisans, but also by the most sophisticated chefs who even combine them with red prawns and red fin tuna. Large, tiny or wild strawberries, symbolise love, heart and passion, summarised in these simple words:
I love you mum!
