Description
The Pomme du Limousin PDO is an apple obtained from the variety of Golden Delicious.
Production Area
The production area of the Pomme du Limousin PDO includes 100 municipal areas located in the departments of Corrèze, Creuse, Dordogne and Haute-Vienne in the Limousin and Aquitaine regions.
Production Method
The density of the apple plantation suitable for production must be between 1,000 and 3,000 trees per hectare. Plant pruning consists of reducing the quantity of fruitbearing shoots, by removing the branches located under the shoots and those which do not receive enough light. This operation is carried out in axial type of form approximately every two years from the third leave. Only localized irrigation and micro-irrigation are allowed, which, nonetheless, cannot be practised within the 15 days before the harvest. The latter is carried out manually. Once the fruits have been picked up, they cannot undergo any phytosanitary treatment and must be preserved in the cold so as not alter the characteristics related to compactness, consistency and juiciness. The last production phase is packing which must be performed using packages designed to preserve the quality of apples.
Appearance and Flavour
The Pomme du Limousin PDO has a slightly elongated form, with very marked peak and having a minimum size of 65 mm. Its colour ranges from white - green to yellow and it can have pink areas. Its flesh is white and compact, and it has a crispy, juicy consistency which is not floury. It taste ranges between what is sweet and acidulous. If the Golden Delicious variety is cultivated at a high position, the apple will have an elongated form and will be characterised by a very marked compactness and by a high quantity of sugar.
History
The origins of the Pomme du Limousin PDO are ancient. The presence of apple trees in this area is certified since ancient times, when the fruits where picked up and preserved for local use. In the last decades, the intensive production of apples, selected according to the typical quality which grows in the area, has become an economic factor of considerable importance for the region. In the year 2000, the Maison de la Pomme du Limousin, a museum where everything that is related to this product can be discovered was opened in Lanouille.
Gastronomy
The Pomme du Limousin PDO must be kept for some days in a fresh and dry place so that it is not smashed or pressed. It is a very wholesome fruit, with low caloric content, rich of vitamins, ideal to eat it raw, even with the peel, once carefully washed. There are an infinite number of preparations that consider apples as the stars of important and elaborated dishes, from roasted meats to desserts. Thanks to their acidulous sweet taste, they are ideal combined with pork meat or foie gras, with the addition of honey and strawberry or raspberry vinegar. They are pleasant desserts if cooked with jam and butter or fried and served with vanilla cream and cinnamon. They are ideal to be externally crystallized due to the characteristic acidulous taste of these apples contrasting with the sweetness of candy.
Marketing
The product is sold as Pomme du Limousin PDO, in Extra and I varieties. It is marketed packed in packages under 20 kg. The use of plastic or paper bags is forbidden. An adhesive label is affixed on each apple showing the AOC (CDO) writing and the product name, Pomme du Limousin.
Distinctive Features
The lands of the production area, light but deep, have a great capacity for water retention and, together with the characteristic weather, influence on the apple cultivation physiology. Especially, cold nights alternated with warm and sunny days benefit the development of aromatic substances and the rose-coloured pigmentation of Pomme du Limousin PDO peel.
