Taste and Flavor
Due to the intensity of the flavor and aroma and the compactness of the pulp, percoche are often synonymous with "industrial peaches", suitable for producing the best peach derivatives: juice, purée, pulp and fruit in syrup.
On the other hand, the pulp sticks to the stone to such an extent that it has to be removed with a knife.
An Apricot Peach?
The name percocca and the orange color of the fruit have led to the false belief, especially in central-northern Italy, where the product is less widespread, that it is a hybrid between peach and apricot; but the percoca is actually a peach in all respects.
It is true that the forms precoca, percoca and percocca are allotropes of the word apricot, all dating back to the Latin adjective PRAECŎQUUS, that is early ripe.
Cultivation location
They are particularly known in Campania, above all in the Phlegrean region, in the Sarno valley and in Siano (SA); but they are also cultivated and widespread in Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria and Sardinia.
In Campania, the following varieties are recognized as traditional agri-food products:
– perch with lace
– Percoca puteolana
– rock perch
– yellow peach of Siano
Cultivation areas
In much of Campania, and in some areas of Basilicata, Molise, Calabria and Puglia, it is customary to immerse pieces of percoca in a container of red or white wine, which is then placed in the refrigerator.
An annual festival is held in Siano dedicated to this speciality, which is consumed first by drinking the wine and then by eating the percoche dipped in the wine left at the bottom of the glass
A similar festival also takes place in Loconia, a hamlet of Canosa di Puglia.
Still in the north, and particularly in Liguria, similar preparations are very common at the end of a meal; in these regions, instead of peaches, which are less easily available than in the south, peaches of other varieties that are not yet fully ripe are sometimes used.
fishing of the Italian tradition
The percoca is a variety of peach widespread in various Italian regions, especially in central and southern Italy. In each area it takes on different names and varieties; in fact, depending on the variety, it changes color, from yellow to white, up to red in some areas.
The percoche pulp is very firm, with a large stone attached to the centre. Due to their strong consistency, they are also used in the food industry, in fact excellent jams, preserves, juices, purees or fruit in syrup are obtained.
Variety of peaches
The most common varieties grown in Italy are the following:
– Giallona di Siano: grown in the province of Salerno, it is round and yellow in colour, with soft pulp.
– Puteolana: grown in the Phlegrean area, in the province of Naples, it ripens around July and has a medium-large shape.
– Terzarola: variety grown in the provinces of Naples and Caserta, so called because it ripens from late summer to October.
– Percoca col Pizzo: also cultivated in the Phlegrean region, it ripens between September and October; it is so called due to the very evident lace and the very soft and compact yellow flesh.
– Percoca di Turi: grown in the province of Bari, this variety has a very hard pulp and an intense flavour.
– Percoca romagnola: grown in Romagna, this variety has a more rounded shape, a very intense yellow pulp and a slightly acidic flavour.
Production Areas
As just mentioned, percoche are grown mainly in central and southern Italy. The regions where they are mostly grown are Campania, Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata and Emilia-Romagna.
The best known production areas are the Sarno river valley, the Phlegraean region and the Siano region, all in Campania.
For many years, moreover, percoche have been recognized as a traditional product with the acronym PAT
(Traditional Food Product), especially in Campania, which for centuries has had a strong link with the production of peaches.
Peaches PAT
How to eat the percoca peach?
The peaches are sliced and soaked in red wine, then left to rest in the refrigerator. When it's time to eat, the wine is drunk first and then the peaches are eaten, which in the meantime have turned red because they have absorbed all the wine.
(Traditional agri-food product); this applies in particular to Campania, which for centuries has had a strong link with the production of peaches.
This specialty is served both as an aperitif and after a meal. To honor this ancient tradition, various festivals are organized, especially in southern Italy, the most famous of which is held in the municipality of Siano, in Campania.
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