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Sicily is a region full of delicacies and specialties to discover, with wonderful beaches and rich and unique nature. The multiple cultural influences that we find in the cities of the island are also reflected in its culinary tradition and peculiar crops.
In 962 the Arabs introduced a fruit with a very sweet flavor which has been cultivated ever since. We are talking about Sbergia, a variety of nectarine that has been growing in Sicily for centuries – there have been attestations since the 16th century. The fruit is very difficult to find in the rest of Italy: only in Reggio Calabria is it grown outside the island.
If you find yourself in Sicily this summer, discover the taste of this ancient fruit before it disappears. The sbergia is unfortunately at risk of extinction and the island could lose its population forever
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What does Sbergia taste like?
Sbergia has a very sweet flavor reminiscent of both apple and snuffbox peach. With the latter it also shares the colors of the peel (after maturation) and partly the shape. Together with the very sweet and particular flavour, this fruit is rich in:
These characteristics make sbergia perfect for those who want to promote diuresis and purify the body.
Where to find it and when to collect it
Sbergia is found almost exclusively in some areas of western and central Sicily, where small producers have continued its cultivation for generations, often on family plots rather than in intensive cultivation. It is precisely this limited commercial diffusion that makes it a “niche” fruit, almost unobtainable in large supermarkets and easier to find in local markets, in local fruit stalls or during small village festivals organized in summer to enhance local products. Anyone looking for sbergia should inquire at farmers’ markets or zero kilometer sales points, where they happen to find it for a very limited period.
In fact, the harvest takes place in a rather narrow time window, generally between the end of July and the end of August, coinciding with the heart of the summer season: one more reason for those who are in Sicily in these months not to miss the opportunity to taste it.
If you are there for summer holidays, or are just passing through, you can enjoy this delicious peach. Or perhaps enjoying this ancient fruit could become your reason to visit Sicily
