Description
The Pommes et Poires de Savoie PGI result from 16 different apple varieties and from six different pear varieties.
Production Area
Pommes et Poires de Savoie PGI production area includes Savoie and Haute-Savoie departments, and the municipal areas of the Ain department, in the Rhone-Alps region.
Production Method
Cultivation is carried out with strictly natural methods, without using pesticides to fight predators. Fruits are picked up only once they reached maturation and then they are kept in cold rooms for 72 at maximum. All production phases are carried out by hand, only calibration is carried out with machines. Approximately 30,000 tones of apples and pears are produced in Upper Savoy, but just 4,000 tones of them have the PGI certification. Savoy apples and pears have the typical characteristics related to altitude and weather variations. Their organoleptic qualities are measured with the Thiault index (sugars + acidity x 100) and the refractometric index.
Appearance and Flavour
Pommes et Poires de Savoie PGI are red or two-coloured, they are characterized by the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. They are crispy and tasty and, in their scent, they hide pineapple and banana aromas. Golden Delicious and Piova are optimal to be eaten raw, Reinette from Canada and Reine des Reinettes are ideal to be cooked, Idared and Molmose to be used in salads. Savoy pears leave an almost sickly sweetness in the mouth. Passe Crassane Doyennée du Comice and Géneral Leclerc are optimal to be eaten raw; the Conférence type is suitable for cooking.
History
Pommes et Poires de Savoie PGI result from the traditional apple and pear production, spread in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie areas from the beginnings of the 19th century.
Gastronomy
The Pomme et Poires de Savoie PGI can be eaten raw or cooked, they are used to prepare countless dishes of local tradition and juices with an extraordinary taste. They are combined also for second courses in the preparation of sweet and intense dishes. They are especially suitable for desserts, such as tarts, puddings and creams. Rissolées are a typical French dish, either sweet or savoury. As dessert, they are stuffed with honey and have the aspect of a small calzone of puff pastry, fried and sprinkled with vanilla sugar.
Marketing
The product is sold as Pommes et Poires de Savoie PGI. It is marketed in 2 kg packages, in small trays of four or six fruits, or loose in boxes of one or two levels. Packaging in bags is forbidden.
Distinctive Features
The mountain climate typical of the production area provides Pommes et Poires de Savoie PGI with unmistakeable characteristics. The altitude of orchards, between 400 m and 800 m, limits the fruit size but benefits the compactness of the fruit flesh. Day temperatures oscillation affects the colour and allows a long preservation. Mineral salts of soils and water contribute to the slow and regular growth of fruits.