Licata Buttiglieddru Tomato

Licata is an ancient town on the southern coast of Sicily, overlooking the western end of the Gulf of Gela. Its beaches are among the most beautiful on the island, but its territory is also characterised by a flood plain known as "la Piana" which originates from the Salso river. The soils, rich in potassium, are very fertile and, together with the high salinity of the water – give particular organoleptic characteristics to the products grown here. Among almond groves and pastures, there are also various cereals and vegetables grown in the dry conditions, in particular the Licata Buttiglieddru tomato, an antique rustic variety that is resistant to hot and cold conditions.
The name refers to the word bottle (bottiglia): the rounded shape with a narrower base and a pointed end is reminiscent of a small bottle. It can be harvested as soon as the skin begins to change colour, in this phase they are best consumed fresh, and they are called "insalatura". When the fruit is of an intense red colour it is also perfect for transformed or processed products. They have an average weight of around 25-30 grams each, the skin is crunchy, and the pulp has a firm consistency. But most of all, the sweetness of these tomatoes is what makes them so cherished by the Licati people. Its brix degree (the scale that measures the sugar content) reaches values ​​between 6 and 8, depending on the year.
The Buttiglieddru are grown in open fields and in dry conditions, on soils that have had their surfaces ploughed. Traditionally, it was sown in December in small holes where manure that was not completely matured was placed prior. The fermentation produced heat, aiding the germination of seeds. The land near the sea was chosen to take advantage of its ability to be thermoregulated. To shelter the crops from the salty sea air, the cold winds and the frosts of January and February, reed barriers were placed about a meter high above the holes, a fan shaped shelter was built using wheat stubble, which would increase in height as the seedlings grew. These techniques allowed for an early harvest and also extended the tomato season.
Today, this traditional open field sowing technique has been taken up again, which allows for tomatoes to already begin to ripen in May. Given the resistance of this variety even to high summer temperatures, in some soils the seedlings are transplanted in May and June, which therefore extends the harvest until August.
Thanks to its sweetness, Buttiglieddru is excellent eaten fresh, but there are also many traditional ways to process it: passata, pulp, dried tomatoes and concentrate. In the kitchen, the Licata people use it in their pasta sauces, by cooking the pasta in a highly concentrated tomato water and then adding Buttiglieddru that have been lightly fried in a pan.