Cureggio and Fontaneto Blond Onion

Slow Food Presidium

Italy

Piedmont

Vegetables and vegetable preserves

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Cureggio and Fontaneto Blond Onion

Close to Novara, in the plain between the Agogna and Sizzone rivers, lie the towns of Cureggio and Fontaneto, once known for the cultivation of potatoes and onions. According to tradition, the local producers would go to the Cureggio train station every day to send crates of their onions to the markets in Milan and Turin.
The traditional onion from the Cureggio and Fontaneto plain is golden-blond in color. Up to 8 centimeters wide, it weighs between 150 and 400 grams and has a distinctive flattened shape. Its essential characteristic, however, is its extreme sweetness, which remains for many months after harvesting.
The onion has a very long growing cycle. The seeds are sown in a seedbed in February, the seedlings are planted out in May and the onions are harvested from August on. Once harvested and dried in the sun, they can keep until the following spring.
As well as being used as a base seasoning for many dishes, a number of local dishes feature the onion as the main ingredient. The recipes have been passed down through the generations, and include peasant soup (water, a pinch of salt, butter or lard and minced onion), onion frittata (with wedges of onion or the unripe bulb, called scigulòtt), frittata rognosa (with the addition of duja salame), rustìda (pork loin and offal cooked in onions, prepared when a pig is slaughtered), cassola and a classic onion soup.
These days, the areas where the onion is grown have been reduced by surrounding infrastructure construction and industrialization. Many local residents have abandoned agricultural activities and onion growing has come close to disappearing for good.

Season

It is harvested from the end of August and can be stored until the following spring.

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The original seed was collected by a pair of young farmers from some local elderly growers who had maintained tradition by continuing to cultivate the onion in their vegetable plots. Thanks to them, the onion seed was reproduced and now a group of new producers is starting to again grow the blond onion in the fertile land around the two towns. The Presidium’s objective is to provide an alternative source of income for the local people and again promote the onion as in the past, cultivating it in an environmentally sustainable way and ensuring it is sold for a fair price. Thanks partly to the work of the Fontaneto d’Agogna tourist board and its members, the seed is being collectively reproduced and distributed in order to encourage new farmers in the area to revive the onion’s cultivation.

Production area
Cureggio and Fontaneto d’Agogna municipalities, Novara province

Presidium supported by
Pro Loco Fontaneto d'Agogna, Municipality of Cureggio, Municipality of Fontaneto d'Agogna, Banca Popolare di Novara
Growers and processors
Simona Cerri e Oscar Temporiti
Via Gramsci, 68
Cureggio (No)
Tel. +39 340 5604467
simona.19869@gmail.com


Growers
Maura Barcellini & Pier Luigi Platini
Vicolo Andrey, 4
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel.+39 379 1189465
maurabarcellini@yahoo.it

Simona Bona
Loc. Maggina
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 348 4707023
lamagginaml@gmail.com

La Capuccina
di Raffaella Fortina
Strada Capuccina, 7
Cureggio (No)
Tel. +39 339 7037330
raffaella@lacapuccina.it

Massimo Tullio delle Donne
Via Sant’Ambrogio, 15
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel.+39 392 5823067
maxi@maxdelledonne.com

Giorgio Fontaneto e Domenico Severico
Via Mazzini, 41
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 366 6892973
giofont956@libero.it


Mattia Giustina
Via Prosmini, 39
Cureggio (No)
Tel. +39 348 8686662
mattia.giustina@hotmail.it

Carlo Masseroni
Via Croce, 1
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 338 8501263
carlo.masseroni@alice.it

Ivano Platini
Via Cureggio 50
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 338 4454526
jvna1117@gmail.com

Luigi e Gianni Platini
Via Sant’Ambrogio Cacciana
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 340 1557692
luigicacciana@gmail.com

Sotto Costa
di Silvio Colombi
Località Pollini
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
stefano.colombi2@gmail.com

Eraldo Teruggi
Via Cavaglio, 4
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 335 7291284
eraldo.teruggi@gmail.com

Pietro Luigi Teruggi
Frazione Sant’Antonio, 28-30
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 349 2500208

Savio Teruggi e Giuseppe Valsecchi
Via Mazzini, 38
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel.+39 349 6906843
savio.teruggi@gmail.com

Slow Food Presidium Coordinator
Luca Platini
Tel. 347 5550447
slowfood.collinenovaresi@gmail.com

Slow Food Presidium Producers’ Coordinator
Carlo Masseroni
Tel. +39 338 8501263
carlo.masseroni@alice.it
The original seed was collected by a pair of young farmers from some local elderly growers who had maintained tradition by continuing to cultivate the onion in their vegetable plots. Thanks to them, the onion seed was reproduced and now a group of new producers is starting to again grow the blond onion in the fertile land around the two towns. The Presidium’s objective is to provide an alternative source of income for the local people and again promote the onion as in the past, cultivating it in an environmentally sustainable way and ensuring it is sold for a fair price. Thanks partly to the work of the Fontaneto d’Agogna tourist board and its members, the seed is being collectively reproduced and distributed in order to encourage new farmers in the area to revive the onion’s cultivation.

Production area
Cureggio and Fontaneto d’Agogna municipalities, Novara province

Presidium supported by
Pro Loco Fontaneto d'Agogna, Municipality of Cureggio, Municipality of Fontaneto d'Agogna, Banca Popolare di Novara
Growers and processors
Simona Cerri e Oscar Temporiti
Via Gramsci, 68
Cureggio (No)
Tel. +39 340 5604467
simona.19869@gmail.com


Growers
Maura Barcellini & Pier Luigi Platini
Vicolo Andrey, 4
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel.+39 379 1189465
maurabarcellini@yahoo.it

Simona Bona
Loc. Maggina
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 348 4707023
lamagginaml@gmail.com

La Capuccina
di Raffaella Fortina
Strada Capuccina, 7
Cureggio (No)
Tel. +39 339 7037330
raffaella@lacapuccina.it

Massimo Tullio delle Donne
Via Sant’Ambrogio, 15
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel.+39 392 5823067
maxi@maxdelledonne.com

Giorgio Fontaneto e Domenico Severico
Via Mazzini, 41
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 366 6892973
giofont956@libero.it


Mattia Giustina
Via Prosmini, 39
Cureggio (No)
Tel. +39 348 8686662
mattia.giustina@hotmail.it

Carlo Masseroni
Via Croce, 1
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 338 8501263
carlo.masseroni@alice.it

Ivano Platini
Via Cureggio 50
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 338 4454526
jvna1117@gmail.com

Luigi e Gianni Platini
Via Sant’Ambrogio Cacciana
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 340 1557692
luigicacciana@gmail.com

Sotto Costa
di Silvio Colombi
Località Pollini
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
stefano.colombi2@gmail.com

Eraldo Teruggi
Via Cavaglio, 4
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 335 7291284
eraldo.teruggi@gmail.com

Pietro Luigi Teruggi
Frazione Sant’Antonio, 28-30
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel. +39 349 2500208

Savio Teruggi e Giuseppe Valsecchi
Via Mazzini, 38
Fontaneto d’Agogna (No)
Tel.+39 349 6906843
savio.teruggi@gmail.com

Slow Food Presidium Coordinator
Luca Platini
Tel. 347 5550447
slowfood.collinenovaresi@gmail.com

Slow Food Presidium Producers’ Coordinator
Carlo Masseroni
Tel. +39 338 8501263
carlo.masseroni@alice.it

Territory

StateItaly
RegionPiedmont