Salina caper, indeed 'caper of the Aeolian Islands' PDO

The Salina caper enters the realm of Protected Designations of Origin (PDO), under the name Caper of the Aeolian Islands PDO. Not equally significant for caper enthusiasts more familiar with the famous caper, but useful to create job opportunities also on other Lipari islands. In strict compliance with production regulations.

History and area

The island of Salina – the greenest and the only Aeolian island dedicated to agriculture, particularly in the Malfa plain – is the first place in the world where capers, typically wild plants, have ever been cultivated. Their care has been passed down through generations, in a history lost to time. This has allowed the development of an indigenous caper that clearly stands out at first glance compared to any other. In size and pulp, far superior to the Pantelleria IGP caper and other wild counterparts.

The name ‘caper of the Aeolian Islands’ is itself recorded in commercial correspondence since the early 17th century. Its shipments, though modest in quantity, were added to generous consignments of Malvasia wine. The wine made from dried grapes on racks, also native to Salina, highly appreciated in England.

The cultivation area is that of the administrative territory of the Municipality of Lipari including the Islands of Lipari, Vulcano, Filicudi, Alicudi, Panarea, Stromboli, and the Municipalities of Santa Marina Salina, Malfa and Leni on the Island of Salina, in the Province of Messina. (2)

Caper of the Aeolian Islands, the products

The ‘Capers of the Aeolian Islands’ PDO designates:

– the capers, understood as flower buds, and

– the cucunci, understood as fruits of

– botanical species Capparis spinosa, subspecies spinosa  e inermis, including the biotypes  Nocellara, Nocella e Spinoso di Salina (1).

The products must possess the following characteristics:

– solid structure, resistance to handling, spherical or slightly flattened shape with pronounced apex and smooth surface,

– green color with mustard tendency and violet streaks,

– absence of visible foreign substances,

– size >4 mm for capers and

– intense and pungent flavor. Characteristic, aromatic and strong odor, without mold inflections or other smells,

– oleic acid >6%.

Traceability and checks, packaging and labeling

The specification of production defines the requirements for traceability and controls in the following terms:

– registration of producers, packers and any intermediate operators in the lists managed by the control body,

– annual notification to the control body, by the producers, of the quantities produced,

– documentary checks, inspections and other control methods. (3)

The packaging can be carried out:

– in sea salt, in packages of various capacities and materials,

– in brine, in containers of various capacities and materials.

In both cases, obviously, the containers must comply with European and Italian regulations on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food (MOCA).

The labels  must bear the PDO logo  caper of the Aeolian Islands, using the European symbol  Protected Designation of Origin. In addition to the premises of the packaging plant, ‘without the use of laudatory terms’. The name of the production island and the producer may be optionally added. (4)

Pedoclimatic characteristics and human factor

The characteristics of the capers of the Aeolian Islands are strongly influenced by the genesis and insular morphology, of volcanic origin, the soil composition and the microclimate. (5) The natural fertility of the soils is enhanced by the abundance of minerals, particularly phosphorus and potassium among the macro elements, as well as iron, magnesium, calcium, manganese and molybdenum among the micro-elements.

The human factor has in turn played a central role in the selection of this particular quality of caper.

Geographical isolation has influenced over the centuries the local agricultural culture and tradition which has developed in complete autonomy from the traditions and cultivation practices commonly spread on the continent. 

The hand of man has contributed to the selection of unique and typical caper cultivars of the area. The continuous selection of plants and their constant propagation by cuttings has allowed the fixation of qualitative and quantitative genetic traits that we find today as peculiarities of the Caper of the Aeolian Islands, such as the particular coloration and resistance to handling. 

The oleic acid content, present in the “Capers of the Aeolian Islands” in an amount not less than 6%, is related to the intense and pungent flavor and remarkable oxidative stability. This value is also strictly connected to the genetic profile of the native Aeolian cultivars (varietal influence) as well as to the peculiar pedoclimatic conditions. 

The variety and quantity of characteristic volatile compounds of the “Capers of the Aeolian Islands” are linked, in addition to the genetic profile of the native cultivars and pedoclimatic characteristics, also to the human factor in the methods of harvesting, preserving and processing the capers (6).

Cultivation, harvesting and processing

Cultivation  may take place in specialized or mixed cultivation, through plant propagation by cuttings, planting densitya vurza(in Aeolian dialect). (7)

Post-harvest phases of salting and maturation, selection and packaging, must be carried out exclusively in the territories of the identified municipalities. In strict compliance with techniques and timings that respond to experiences consolidated over centuries to prevent degradation processes and long preserve the organoleptic properties. (8)

The registration of the PDO

The registration application It was presented by the Association  Capers of the Aeolian Islands PDO, legally established on 16.6.16 by a group of 67 operators representing the various islands of the Aeolian archipelago. The opposition from producers of Salina, who claimed the exclusivity of the tradition, was rejected due to lateness. (9)

EU Regulation 2020/624 finally registers the Aeolian capers and caper berries in the PDO register, effective from 27.5.20. Hoping that the enhancement of these products can lead to the recovery of abandoned land, also useful to prevent hydrogeological instability, and promote employment in agriculture in these splendid but remote areas. The choice of organic farming, facilitated by the natural resilience of the plant, can add value to the products and preserve ecosystems.

Dario Dongo and Giulia Caddeo

Note

(1) Production specifications of the protected designation of origin Capers of the Aeolian Islands

(2) Specifications, art. 3

(3)  Idem c.s, art. 4

(4)  Ibidem, art. 8

(5) The temperate climate, archipelago (average air temperature max 30° C in summer, minimum 11° C in winter), latitude and geographical position, also subject to the influence of the sea which contributes to the general reduction of temperature excursions and to the increase of atmospheric humidity. With an intense phenomenon of 'occult precipitation', which naturally provides an additional source of water to the vegetation

(6) Specifications, art. 6

(7) The cumulative annual production of capers and/or caper berries cannot exceed 9 tons/ha in the case of specialized cultivation, 8 Kg per plant in the case of mixed cultivation. The annual production of capers alone, understood exclusively as flower buds, in the case of mixed cultivation, must in any case not exceed 5.5 kg per plant

(8) The collected products, both capers and cucunci, must be spread out on cloths to dry in a cool place. Within 24 hours of harvesting, the products are salted by treatment with coarse sea salt, alternating a layer of capers and/or cucunci with a layer of salt. The salted capers and/or cucunci must be stirred daily for the first 8 days. Then the draining of the vegetation water and the addition of fresh sea salt take place. After three weeks, the products must be stirred withfrequency at least weekly and drained of any fermentation water. At the end of this phase, when the appropriate maturation and the right organoleptic balance have been reached, capers and cucunci are selected according to the established sizes, then packaged under salt or in brine. Alternatively, only cucunci, after harvesting, may be subjected to maturation in brine.

In view of the packaging under salt, an additional amount of sea salt is added to the treated capers and/or caper berries (to stabilize them and allow for adequate preservation). Then, further mixing is carried out to form a homogeneous mass, followed by insertion into suitable containers, weighing, labeling, sealing, and market release.

In the case of brine packaging, the products are placed into suitable containers and weighed before adding the brine (aqueous solution of 25 kg of salt in 75 liters of water). The containers are then sealed, labeled, and sent for consumption.

(9) The European Commission declared inadmissible the opposition request notified to it by the Municipalities of Malfa, Leni, and Santa Maria Salina (pursuant to Regulation EU 1151/2012, Article 51, paragraphs 1 and 2). Natural or legal persons with a legitimate interest (and established or resident in the Member State where the application is submitted) must notify the opposition only within the national opposition procedure, and not subsequently (pursuant to Regulation EU 1151/12, Articles 49.3.1 and 51).

(10) Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/624, of 30.4.20,  concerning the registration of a name in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications [Caper of the Aeolian Islands (PDO)]