"Italy: MA.DE.CO. launches the blue potatoes "Delizia Blu"
Roberta Mazziantonio, company manager, explains: "We had this project on go for ages and now, close to the harvest which is starting in the first days of July 2012, we are proud of introduce blue potatoes and we are sure consumers will love it."
"We decided to add the adjective 'blue' because we want to distinguish them from Vitelotte variety, already present in our stock. In the Italian market they are both unknown actually, so we are noticing widespread confusion when it comes to calling these varieties by their own colour."
Vitelotte potatoes produced in MA.DE.CO.
"In the last few years I have tried to increase my knowledge about the rarest and strangest varieties of tubers. Ten years ago I chose to the violet potato Vitelotte, because I think it is unique in its colour and flavour. It was an unusual choice because until some time ago few people knew it and most people disdained it above all for its irregular shape," Roberta Mazziantonio continues.
Preparation of the soil for seeding.
"About one year and half ago I also tried to seed the blue potato, at the beginning in order to provide some restaurants. Then, in the current campaign, we seeded more blue potatoes for retail trade thinking about those consumers who did not like the 'wild' flavor of Vitelotte variety."
Seed blue potatoes.
The following pictures are the proof that blue potatoes are already different from the other varieties in field. When their plants bloom they seem a carpet of bluish cornflowers whereas Vitelotte and other varieties have white flowers.
Blue potatoes’ flowers.
Moreover, 'Delizia Blu' has a more regular shape than Vitelotte and its flavour is more similar to that of traditional potatoes. Its skin is purplish and its flesh is blue-purple with a white contour. "When you peel it, it seems spotted and the peel tends to be white, but what is surprising is cooking it! The potato gets a bluish colour that tends to be purple-grey and so does cooking water," said Roberta.
Roberta Mazziantonio in a field of blue potatoes.
On the contrary, Vitelotte potatoes present an intensive purple peel, almost black, they have dark purple flesh sometimes spotted with white, depending on the cultivation areas. The dark purple colour characterizes all the dishes with this ingredient, which is different not only for the colour but also for the flavour. Roberta underlines: "For example, gnocchi cooked with Vitelotte are purple while if you make gnocchi with blue potatoes they will be grey-blue. I was really satisfied when I met a French journalist and I made her try a mash potato with Vitelotte. She asked me if it was really made with Vitelotte because its flavour was good and particular. So I answered her that it was good because it was made up of Vitelotte from Tuscia!" (Vitelotte potatoes are originally from France).
Gnocchi made with Vitelotte potatoes.
Roberta also reminds features of the lands in Northern Lazio. Their soil has a volcanic origin and the natural environment is unpolluted. There is also Bolsena Lake. All these features are the reasons why products have a superior quality.
Bolsena Lake.
There is more news from MA.DE.CO., "Last winter I tested very particular tubers and if everything goes well, we will seed them for the next 2013 campaign," Roberta ends.
Contact:
Roberta Mazziantonio
MA.DE.CO. srl
S.S. 74 maremmana
Grotte di Castro (VT)
Phone: +39 (0)763 797153 / -54
Fax: +39 (0)763 796050
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.madecosrl.it
Facebook: www.facebook.com/madecogrottedicastro
