Fruit, vegetables and pulses

Rotonda red aubergine

Rotonda red aubergine PDO: tomato-shaped, with a spicy, bitter-edged bite

Not the everyday aubergine but Solanum aethiopicum, brought to Rotonda from Africa in 1935 and since adapted to the Mercure valley. It grows in four villages of the Pollino park and is cut by hand, with scissors, from July to November.

• Round, up to about 200 g, turning from bright orange to glossy red as it ripens
• An intense, fruity scent reminiscent of prickly pear and a spicy, slightly bitter finish
• Cut it open and the flesh stays white for a long time, thanks to very low chlorogenic acid

How to enjoy it. Fry it with mint and garlic, or toss it through fusilli with podolico caciocavallo. For winter, Rotonda hangs it in bunches to dry or keeps it under oil or vinegar.

Production areas

Basilicata

Season

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