In Carnia it’s known as Per Martin, in Carinthiia as Klotzen, or Doerrbirne, while in the valleys on the Slovenian side of Italy’s eastern border, they call it Tepka.It probably isn’t a single variety at all but rather a population of pear trees that has adapted to the mountains on the border between Italy, Austria and Slovenia.
They include Pyrus nivalis, the yellow pear or snow pear,which stands out for its slightly silvery foliage on account of the tomentum, or down, on the lower blade of the young leaves, and Pyrus communis, the European or common pear, whose leaves are a pronounced bright green in color. The flowers are small and white and the fruits are also quite small and round in shape. The fruits can only be eaten after being allowed to overripen after the harvest, thus changing their consistency, color and flavor. The procedure involves arranging the freshly picked pears well apart from one another in wood crates and leaving these in a dry, dark place. Here they rest for about a month until they have reached the right degree of ripeness. The skin takes on a dark brown color like the flesh, which stays firm and sugary. The process eliminates the astringent effect caused by the high tannin content, which diminishes with overripening. By calibrating the ripening period and temperature, it is possible to preserve the pears for a long time.
Once this process has been completed, the pears may be dried. In the old days, the majolica stube, or kitchen stove, ensured the constant warmth necessary. Alternatively, the pears were arranged on trellises and placed in special wood dryers. Studies on old drying systems are being carried out in the Gailtal and Kanaltal valleys in Austria. Whatever the system used, it is important for the warmth to reach the core of the fruit since it is dried whole, not in slices.
The dried pear can be eaten as it is or ground to flour or crumbled to make pear bread. Refreshed in water, the pear pulp is combined with ricotta to become the main ingredient in the filling for klotzennudeln or cjarsons, ravioli. In the valleys, klozen pear juice, perry, brandy and liqueur are still widely produced.
The Presidium’s aim is to preserve this biodiversity by counting, cataloguing and protecting surviving trees, and also by planting new ones. It has also set itself the target of processing the fresh fruit to produce the likes of dried pears (as a filling for klotzennudeln or cjarsons), perry, liqueurs and brandy to drive a form of economic development combining tradition, landscape and sustainable tourism.
Production area
In Italy: the communes of Tarvisio, Malborghetto-Valbruna, Pontebba, Dogna, Chiusaforte, Resiutta, Resia and Moggio Udinese.
In Austria: the municipalities of Dellach, Gitschtal, Arnoldstein, St.Stefan im Gailtal, Kirchbach, Koetschach-Mauthen and Hermagor-Pressegersee
Supported by
Friuli Venezia Giulia Region
In Italia:
Azienda Agrituristica Prati Oitzinger
di Marisa Piussi
Val Saisera
Località Prati Oitzinger
Tarvisio (Ud)
Tel. 393 4185381
info@agriturismopratioitzinger.it
www.agriturismopratioitzinger.it
Produttori
In Italia:
Azienda Agrituristica Prati Oitzinger
di Marisa Piussi
Val Saisera
Località Prati Oitzinger
Tarvisio (Ud)
Tel. 393 4185381
info@agriturismopratioitzinger.it
www.agriturismopratioitzinger.it
Luigi Faleschini
Via Zardini, 15
Pontebba (Ud)
Tel. 392 5011119
faleschinibio@gmail.com
www.agricolafaleschini.it
Rifugio Celso Gilberti
di Irene Pittino
Via Conca Prevala
Sella Nevea Chiusaforte (Ud)
Tel. 333 8192055
iri.piri@virgilio.it
In Austria:
Leopold Feichtinger
Krass, 2Hermagor-Austria
Tel. +43 699 10778746
leopold.feichtinger@gmx.at
https://echtkrass.at
Philipp Bodner & Eva Hinterbichler
Baumschule Fruchttrieb
Kreuth 11, 9640 Kötschach-Mauthen
Tel. +43(0)664 75041506
baumschule@fruchttrieb.at
www.fruchttrieb.at
Hans Madritsch & Christiane Halder
Biohof Madritsch-Halder
Karnitzen 2, 9623 St.Stefan im Gailtal
Tel. +43 (0)664 9770021
christiane.halder.bio@gmail.com
www.biohof-madritsch-halder.at
Luigi Faleschini
Via Zardini, 15
Pontebba (Ud)
Tel. 392 5011119
faleschinibio@gmail.com
www.agricolafaleschini.it
Rifugio Celso Gilberti
di Irene Pittino
Via Conca Prevala
Sella Nevea Chiusaforte (Ud)
Tel. 333 8192055
iri.piri@virgilio.it
In Austria:
Leopold Feichtinger
Krass, 2Hermagor-Austria
Tel. +43 699 10778746
leopold.feichtinger@gmx.at
Philipp Bodner & Eva Hinterbichler
Baumschule Fruchttrieb
Kreuth 11, 9640 Kötschach-Mauthen
Tel. +43(0)664 75041506
baumschule@fruchttrieb.at
www.fruchttrieb.at
Hans Madritsch & Christiane Halder
Biohof Madritsch-Halder
Karnitzen 2, 9623 St.Stefan im Gailtal
Tel. +43 (0)664 9770021
christiane.halder.bio@gmail.com
www.biohof-madritsch-halder.at
For Italy
Luigi Faleschini
Tel. +39 392 5011119
faleschinibio@gmail.com
For Austria
Leopold Feichtinger
Tel. +43 699 10778746
leopold.feichtinger@gmx.at
Slow Food Presidium Coordinator
For Italy
Filippo Bier
tel. +39 335 6789205
fibier@tim.it
For Austria
Herwig Ertl
Tel. +43 4715 246
ertl@herwig-ertl.at
www.herwig-ertl.at