Beautiful in name and in fact, but delicate and fragile. A fruit from other times from the original story, from fresh and intense flavor, and with a great aroma, excellent eaten fresh, alone or in a fruit salad, perhaps with the addition of a drop of Erbaluce di Caluso, but traditional recipes also propose it cooked in the oven, filled with cocoa and amaretti biscuits. And the Pesca Bella of Borgo d'Ale, in the Vercelli area, locality with just over two thousand inhabitants in the province of Vercelli, in Piedmont, a land devoted to fruit growing and peach growing in particular. Alone eight years ago there were only about twenty plants, all at least forty years old. It would soon disappear. To her rescue came her inclusion among the Slow Food Presidia.
"The recovery of the variety began in 2016," recalls Paolo Caldera, contact person for eight enlightened producers, some of them in their early thirties, who joined the Presidium to save this precious fruit-bearing species. «From the very few remaining plants, mostly present in the orchards of elderly farmers, we recovered the material to start the propagation». And today, thanks to the work of recovery and propagation, we have reached about five hundred plants.
Eight years ago, only 20 forty-year-old trees survived
«The peach tree is not like rice, which reaches production in just five or six months – adds Gabriele Varalda, Slow Food coordinator for the Presidium -. It takes three years to get to production and in the early days the harvest was just enough for self-consumption, so 2022 was the first real year of production».
The beginning of the cultivation of peaches, in the plain of Borgo d'Ale, dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century, probably on the initiative of some Borgodalese returning from America with seeds from overseas. But the attempt was not particularly successful. A few decades later, however, other more professional experiments gave more promising results: like this, in 1930, there were already more than one hundred hectares of land around the village planted with peach orchards.
For about half a century, the history of Borgo d'Ale went hand in hand with the development of peach growing: many varieties are grown. Among these a particularly fragrant and aromatic: the one known as the Pretty. Roundish and medium-large in size, the skin has a light green-whitish background color and a pinkish-red overcolour and white pulp with reddish veins near the stone. When, in the mid-70s, over 100 quintals of peaches were harvested in Borgo d'Ale, around 10% consisted of this variety.
Now we are also thinking about the transformation of the product into compotes, jams and juices
Peach growing still plays an important role in the local economy in Borgo d'Ale today. Merit of a land of fluvial-glacial origin, particularly draining, and of the characteristic microclimate due to the proximity of Lake Viverone: a habitat undoubtedly favorable to peach trees. But in the last three or four decades, the Bella has almost been lost, outclassed by larger sized varieties more suitable for the market, because they are available for a longer period (the variety protected by the new Presidium ripens in just two weeks, between the end of July and the beginning of August) and because they are more durable and therefore easily marketable.
«We are sentimentally linked to this variety of peach and we find it very good, but the feedback from consumers has also been excellent. They recognize that it is worth saving,” explains Caldera. «The intention was never to keep two or three plants to transform them into a museum exhibit, but to resume production and give them a future». The intention, now, is to broaden the project also from the point of view of the transformation of the product into compotes, jams and juices. The Bella di Borgo d'Ale peach production area includes the municipalities of Borgo d'Ale, Alice Castello, Cigliano and Moncrivello (Vercelli), Viverone (Biella), Cossano Canavese and Maglia (Turin).
The pleasure of the aromatic and fragrant taste of peaches should also be added richness of nutritional properties. The consumption of peaches provides the body with moderate amounts of vitamin C, a molecule with antioxidant properties which is also important for the synthesis of collagen. These fruits are also a source of vitamin A, an ally of eye health, skin and mucous membranes and more: it seems, in fact, that this vitamin helps to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers. Il iron is important for the production of red blood cells, ifluoride for bone and tooth health and potassium for heart and arterial health. Flavonoids such as lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin help fight reactive oxygen species.
A concentrate of beneficial properties for the eyes, blood, skin and intestines
More specifically, the Humanitas website shows that 100 g of peaches in particular provide the body with approximately: 0,024 mg of thiamine, 0,025 mg of pyridoxine, 0,73 mg of vitamin E, 0,031 mg riboflavin, 326 IU vitamin A, 2,6 µg vitamin K, 190 mg potassium, 11 mg phosphorus, 9 mg magnesium, 6 mg calcium, 0,61 mg manganese, 0,25 mg iron, 0,17 mg of zinc, 0,068 mg of copper, 162 µg of beta-carotene, 67 µg of beta-cryptoxanthin and 91 µg of lutein and zeaxanthin .The presence of vitamin A, in particular, has an antioxidant action by counteracting free radicals, strengthens the skin, stimulates the natural renewal of cells and promotes the production of melanin, essential in the warmer months. They are also good for eyesight as lutein helps protect the retina from macular degeneration. Finally, the presence of fibers helps prevent disorders such as constipation or irregular bowel movements, favoring a mild laxative action and thanks to the good water and fiber content naturally perform a detoxifying, purifying and diuretic action.
