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The Ciaculli Late Season Mandarin Nithya Raman ITA 350 February 1, 2021

2 The Ciaculli Late Season Mandarin The Ciaculli Mandarin orange groves are found in the small areas of Ciaculli, a village located outside Palermo, Sicily. The region in Italy was known for its extensive orange groves until the 1940s, when industrialization and modernization diminished the cultivated land by almost three quarters which was a significant reduction in lands available to cultivate these unique fruit in. The Ciaculli mandarin is a mutation of the Avana mandarin that is produced in the later times of the harvest season, hence the name Late Season Mandarin (Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, 2020). The timeline for the Ciaculli late season mandarin includes the maturation periods in the months of January and February followed by its commercialization typically in March (Slow Italy, 2012). It Italy, they attributed this timeline to the word, tardivo, which means late because the harvest season is normally earlier in the year (Slow Italy, 2012). This mandarin type also has other characteristics that make it distinct and unique. This fruit not only has a strong citrus smell but has a higher sugar content than other types of oranges. The fruit also has a thin peel and a smaller spherical shape rather than a large round shape. The orange typically comes in a yellow-orange color rather than a deep orange and typically has two to six seeds (Slow Italy, 2012). This fruit contributes to the locality of Ciaculli as it is one of the main sources of harvest in the region and is staunchly preserved due to the adverse impacts on the land available for cultivation from the 1940s and 1950s. The Ciaculli mandarin takes up the entirety of the agricultural land available which in this village is known as the Conca d’ Oro land. Despite this region being known for this unique mandarin type, the land’s instability continues, and modernization and industrialization meet this region in Sicily. The region that was once known for its orange groves lining the mountain ranges is left with small plots available to plant this fruit. Producers are left discourages and it is projected that if the current trends

3 continue for the agricultural land available, in ten years, there will be no more land available to cultivate the Ciaculli mandarin. The Slow Food Foundation is dedicated to trying to reverse this trend to preserve this land and the fruit itself (Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, 2020). Amidst a steady global change toward industrializing every region, it is increasingly difficult to preserve these fruits that are dependent on cultivatable land to continue to survive. The Slow Food Foundation is dedicated to insuring that the Ciaculli mandarin is cultivated using noninvasive techniques (Agrumaria Corleone, 2020). This ensures that no further damage is coerced upon the small amount of land available to cultivate fruits with. With the already limited amount of land the Slow Food Foundation emphasizes protecting the land and ecosystem along with the fruit itself. After the fruit is commercialized, it is typically consumed fresh. It is also used in marmalades, chocolates, and other delicacies which makes this fruit something that is cherished and enjoyed by many. My family is from India which translates into the food I eat at home being mostly from traditional Indian customs. The food product I will be discussing is dosa which is a thin crepe like dish from the southern region of India. My family is from Tamil Nadu, which is a state in southern India, so by eating this dish for breakfast on the weekends, I am connected to my home country. The terroir of this dish is essentially that the grain of rice thrives in the humid regions of southern India allowing for many rice-based dishes which includes dosa. Dosa is high in carbohydrates and has an increased vitamin B and vitamin C content due to the fermentation process involved. The dosa has become a staple dish across South India and is something that unites not only food in Tamil Nadu but the entirety of South India. Dosa has spread across the region into Kerala and Karnataka, and these regions have developed their own iterations of this dish from different textures to different consistencies.

4 There are many advantages to sustaining local and regional identities when it comes to food customs and traditions. One of those advantages can be the preservation of culture. For example, in my house, by continuing to cook Indian traditional foods, I have had the opportunity to have that bit of transferable culture with me that I can pass down in my own family as well. Unfortunately, maintaining every local tradition can come at a cost of time and effort. Some of the traditions of grounding the grains for Indian food are extremely time-consuming and simply impossible to fit into a new social identity where homemade food is not always at the forefront of a family’s schedule. Although it is a nice tradition to be aware of, it is not sustainable in an everchanging society where professional development is more important than always preserving a local identity. The mission of Slow Food connects to the Mediterranean lifestyle because it is not just dedicated to preserving a culture but also the land, animals, and ecosystem that make up that dish (Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, 2020). In a country and culture where deep pride exists in traditional practice, the Slow Food Foundation’s mission aligns perfectly with this lifestyle without hindering growth of the region in general.

5 References

Ciaculli Late Season Mandarin - Presìdi Slow Food. 13 Dec. 2018, www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/slow-food-presidia/ciaculli-late-winter-mandarino/.

“Consorzio Il Tardivo Di CIaculli.” Consorzio Il Tardivo Di Ciaculli - Presidio Slow Food Del Mandarino Tardivo Di Ciaculli, www.tardivodiciaculli.net/.

Slow Italy. Slow Italy, 4 Mar. 2015, slowitaly.yourguidetoitaly.com/2012/01/mandarino-tardivodi-ciaculli-late-mandarin-of-ciaculli/#:~:text=The%20Mandarino%20tardivo%20di %20Ciaculli%20(late%20mandarin%20of%20Ciaculli)%20got,of%20Ciaculli%20are %20absolutely%20natural.

“Tardivo Di Ciaculli Mandarin.” Agrumaria Corleone, 6 Oct. 2020, www.agrumariacorleone.com/en/tardivo-di-ciaculli-mandarin.html....