Fall has come: the landscapes acquire warmer colours, the cold stars to disappear and we can feel the Christmas atmosphere in the air. This is the ideal season to propose a visit in the inland of Salerno, in Roccadaspide, a small village where the life follows traditions and farming rhythms, among perfumes and colours that remind semplicity.

Surrounded by a multiform landscape, among deep woods and cultivated fields, we reach the little village of the marrons.

We notice it as soon as we get there: along the paths and the lanes of the village, the chestnut trees’ branches are full of chestnut husks. On the buildings’ doorsteps we notice woven baskets full of shining, hefty marrons.

Roccadaspide is the originally area of the homonym Marron, a chestnut exceptionally tasty, rich in potassium. Between the end of October and the first days of November, there is a festival dedicated to this fruit.

According to the ancient popular traditions, the chestnut was considered such a symbol of civilization and of wellness that was called the bread tree. A definition linked to the characteristics of these tasty and nourishing fruits.

The Greeks used to call them “Jupiter’s acorns”, while during the Roman period, they were a refined dessert: the chestnuts were used in the kitchen, since the ancient times. The word marron, in fact, would come from the ancient city of Thrace of Marronea, while the term chestnut would derive from kashtah (which in Persian means dried fruit) or from Kastania, a village in Thessaly, now Greece.

According to the ancient manuscripts kep in the archive of the Abbey of Cava, during the middle age and until the late 1800, the value of the chestnut was due to the importance of the chestnut flour, used to make a particular long-life bread. This bread was vital for the population of Roccadaspide during the Second World War when there was no food left: the bread allows the entire population to survive to the famine.

The harvest of the marrons happens in the late autumn, from October to December, until the chestnut fruits become totally mature. Due to their easy perishability, there are different techniques aimed to extend their life; one of them is the typical “curatura”. During nine days, the chestnuts gathered in wooden vats, are immersed in cold water, which is periodically changed, entirely or partially. After that, the chestnuts are selected, located in ventilated areas and disposed on fine dry sand layers, until they get dry.

The Marron of Roccadaspide is among the few chestnut varieties in the Campania area to be called “marron type” (more exquisite, because it is the fruit of a cultivated plan, while the chestnut comes from the wild plant). For this reason, it is in great demand, both for the industrial production and the retail, where it is preferred for the preparation to the classic chestnuts.

Recognised as a GPI (Geographical Protected Indication) product in 2008, the Marron presents organoleptic features that make it usable for different purposes: fresh, boiled, grilled or as a base for preserve, puree, marron glacés or rhum.

The whitish pulp, the crunchy and slightly floury consistency, in addition to the sweet taste, make the Marron of Roccadaspide a unique product: we love eating it as we used to, roasted on the fire and while we are walking.