briciole

mora / blackberry or mulberry

Rubus fruticosus (blackberry), Morus alba, nigra or rubra (white, black and red mulberry, respectively) — Both fruits are made of aggregated drupelets. When more are blackberries, they grow on a rovo (blackberry bush); when they are mulberries they grow on a gelso (mulberry tree). Mulberry trees are famous also because their leaves feed silk worms, bachi da seta. As an amateur bookbinder and boxmaker, I am also familiar with mulberry paper, produced from an Asian species of mulberry tree (Morus papyrifera or Broussonetia papyrifera). While I have no experience picking mulberries, I love picking blackberries: getting scraped by the thorns and... Read more →

cocomero / watermelon

Also called anguria or melone d'acqua. The word cocomero comes from the Latin cucumis, while anguria derives from a Greek word. Be aware that in certain parts of Italy cocomero actually means cucumber. The latter's scientific name is, indeed, Cucumis sativus. The scientific name of watermelon, on the other hand, is Citrullus lanatus. In case you hear the word citrullo while in Italy, consider that it is not a compliment. Humans have been eating watermelons for thousands of years and I believe no justification for this is required. As a child I eagerly waited for summer, when, among other delectable fruits,... Read more →

mirtillo / blueberry

My first experience of mirtilli occurred one day that I went for a hike on the Alps: I saw the plant, was enchanted by the tiny berries, picked some and tasted them. I remember the outcome of the memorable experience: purple fingers, purple tongue and tiny tart explosions in my mouth. At the first brunch I went to, some time after moving to California to live with my (now) husband, I ate what to me seemed mirtilli on steroids. Besides being several order of magnitude bigger, the cultivated blueberries I encountered in the US are sweeter and I like them better... Read more →

fragola / strawberry

From fragula, diminutive of the Latin fraga, which was actually plural and therefore indicated strawberries, comes the name of this beloved fruit. Fragola is closely related to the adjective fragrant: the sweet smell of strawberries speaks of summer and of scrumptious desserts, like gelato alla fragola and fragole con la panna (topped with whipped cream). If you are in Italy in early June, you can visit the delightful ancient town of Nemi, on the homonymous lake, 25 miles from Rome, and attend the annual Sagra delle Fragole (strawberry fair). Nemi is famous for its production of small strawberries, fragoline, and oversize... Read more →