The Products PGI of Marche

The history of the cured meats of the Marche is tied in with the sharecroppers, who would use almost every part of the pig in one way or the other. The animals were fed with great care and were raised on mash and acorns. Careful attention to this aspect is still given today, and is one of the main reasons the meat is of such fine quality. The animals were butchered in winter when food from other farming activities was scarce and the cold temperatures would preserve the meat.
The custom of not wasting any part of the animal and the need to use even thelard in every way possible.
Ciauscolo is particularly popular in the south of the Marche, where it is made by grinding the lard and then mixing it in with the meat to make a smooth paste that can be easily spread onto bread. This process is used especially in the upper Marche and the inland areas around Fermo and Ascoli Piceno, where the percentage of fat tends to be higher. Aside from the technique, which calls for 2 to 3 passages through increasingly small screens, the choice of meat is also very important. It must include the shoulder, ham, belly, loin and, of course, the lard. White wine, garlic and pepper are added after which it is stuffed into its casing.

The “ maccheroncini” of Campofilone, made in the province of Fermo, are unique. They feature on dinner tables and at food fairs the world over and are especially loved because they retain that special artisanal identity.
The recipe and ingredients are simple. All you need is durum wheat and eggs, double the amount usually employed for making normal egg pasta. They differ from other pasta products, being mixed only with chicken eggs, 10 eggs per kilo of durum wheat flour.
The art of making them is handed down by the women, who work the dough by hand or with a wooden spoon. It’s delicious with meat sauce, but also with a seafood sauce. For semolina pasta some artisans use high quality durum wheat. The milling, mixing and production of this product has remained faithful to tradition and the artisanal process in every aspect.
Therefore the “Maccheroncini”of Campofilone distinguish from other pasta products for the thinness of the dough sheets and the finest cut.
These features allow the product a very low cooking time of 1 minute in boiling water or directly in the sauce without necessarily being boiled. On these particular foundations, in the year 2013, the “Maccheroncini” of Campofilone obtain the PGI recognition.
Thanks to its high protein content and the fine organoleptic qualities, semolina pasta, and its particularly intense aroma, are much sought after by the most demanding markets the world over.

For further information:
Pro Loco di Campofilone (tourist office)
Piazza Umberto 1°, 63828 Campofilone ( Fermo) 
tel. +39 0734 917057Fax: +39 0734 917057

The Lentils from Castelluccio of Norcia are shown to consumer with a variegated colour ranging from mottled green to light brown , with brindle seeds.
The lentil cultivation area of Castelluccio of Norcia is the plateau of Castelluccio on a total surface area of about 20 square km lying for the part of the “Pian Grande” and “Pian Piccolo”, in the small municipality of Norcia, and for the part of “Pian Perduto” in the municipality of Castelsantangelo sul Nera (Macerata) with an average altitude of 1400 m. above the sea level. The production area lies entirely in the Sibillini National Park.
Called by the inhabitants of Castelluccio “Lénta” is the country’s representative product. The use of this legume is ancient as evidenced by the discovery of seeds in Neolithic tombs dated 3000 BC.
The lentil is an annual plant, which blooms between May and August, belonging to the legume family. The unmistakable flavor, very small size, resistance to pests and the organic cultivation only, now make of it a very sought product. It is sown as soon as the snowpack is completely dissolved.
Between late May and early July, the plateau of Castelluccio is a witness to an event of major importance, “Flowering”. For several weeks the chromatic monotony of grassland is broken by a mosaic of colors, with variations in color ranging from yellow ocher to red. Although the feast of the “Fiorita” falls into the third and last Sunday of June, there is a clear day to enjoy this enchanting show. Every year everything is entrusted to the climate of the season. Towards the end of July beginning of August it is collected.