6 Aprile 2012

La bottarga di OrbetelloThe Orbetello “Bottarga”

Orbetello è unica con il suo centro storico allungato sulla striscia di terra che divide la laguna dal mare.

Il paese è terra di pescatori che sono uniti in un’unica cooperativa che governa la pesca nella laguna, 2500 ettari d’acqua divisi a metà dalla diga Leopoldina che collegato Orbetello con Monte Argentario.

E’ un’attività antichissima per la gente di Orbetello la pesca in laguna; attività oggi valorizzata da una vera golosità gastronomica: la bottarga di cefalo (o muggine).

Le sacche ovariche delle femmine di muggine, dopo essere state asportate, lavate, trattate con sale marino ed essicate hanno qui una stagionatura più breve che altrove e questo fa sì che, la bottarga di Orbetello, sia più morbida e meno punente nel sapore rispetto alle altre del Mediterraneo.

Va ricordato che nel mare nostrum, la bottarga (dall’arabo battarikh: uova di pesce salate) è diffusa un po’ ovunque è quella di Orbetello ha origini che ci riportano a quasi 600 anni fa!

Ma la laguna di Orbetello offre, agli amanti dei prodotti ittici altre specialità. I granchi, le orate, i cefali, le spigole e soprattutto, la classicissima anguilla, che qui è un vero simbolo.

La preparazione classica dell’anguilla orbetellese è lo sciabecco, termine che deriva da scabeche, che in spagnolo vuol dire marinata. Retaggio questo della lunga dominazione spagnola.

Ma la laguna di Orbetello è anche uno degli “stagni” europei più ricchi di selvaggina di passo. Sono stati osservati infatti qui, oltre 140 specie di uccelli diversi!Orbetello is unique with its historic centre on the stripe of land that divides the lagoon from the sea.

It’s a village of fishermen who are all members of the one and only cooperative responsible for the fishing activity in the 2500 hectare lagoon divided in half by the Leopoldina dam connecting Orbetello with the Monte Argentario.
The people in Orbetello have been fishing in the lagoon since ancient times and today the activity is valorised by the gastronomic delicatessen: the mullet “bottarga”.
When the ovaries from the female mullets have been removed, washed, treated with marine salt and dried, the ageing process starts, a process that is shorter here compared to the bottarga of other areas in the Mediterranean and for this reason the taste of the Orbetello Bottarga is more tender and delicate.
In the Mediterranean area the bottarga (from the Arabic word battarikh meaning salted hard roe) is very common and in Orbetello its origins goes back to more than 600 years!
But the Orbetello lagoon offers many other specialties as well. Crab and sea bream, mullet, bass and above all the classic eel that has become a real symbol in this area.
The classical recipe of Orbetello eel is the so called sciabecco, a term that comes from the Spanish word scabeche meaning marinade, deriving from the long Spanish domination of the area.
The Orbetello lagoon is also known for its rich wildlife, in fact more than 140 different species of birds have been observed here. The Orbetello “Bottarga”
Orbetello is unique with its historic centre on the stripe of land that divides the lagoon from the sea. It’s a village of fishermen who are all members of the one and only cooperative responsible for the fishing activity in the 2500 hectare lagoon divided in half by the Leopoldina dam connecting Orbetello with the Monte Argentario.
The people in Orbetello have been fishing in the lagoon since ancient times and today the activity is valorised by the gastronomic delicatessen: the mullet “bottarga”.
When the ovaries from the female mullets have been removed, washed, treated with marine salt and dried, the ageing process starts, a process that is shorter here compared to the bottarga of other areas in the Mediterranean and for this reason the taste of the Orbetello Bottarga is more tender and delicate.
In the Mediterranean area the bottarga (from the Arabic word battarikh meaning salted hard roe) is very common and in Orbetello its origins goes back to more than 600 years!
But the Orbetello lagoon offers many other specialties as well. Crab and sea bream, mullet, bass and above all the classic eel that has become a real symbol in this area.
The classical recipe of Orbetello eel is the so called sciabecco, a term that comes from the Spanish word scabeche meaning marinade, deriving from the long Spanish domination of the area.
The Orbetello lagoon is also known for its rich wildlife, in fact more than 140 different species of birds have been observed here.

 

 

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