Orange from Fondi

The Fondi orange, called the Blonde by virtue of the yellow color of the pulp, has a sour taste. The fruit, which has many seeds and is therefore suitable for use in juices, has an elongated spheroidal shape, and is characterized by a thin yellowish skin. The pallor and acidity of the mesocarp depend on the fact that it is a late quality, in fact it matures in April-May. In the last period of the harvest, when it becomes sweeter, it deteriorates easily: the peel detaches slightly from the pulp, swells and fills with protuberances. The harvest takes place over time, starting in February in the Fondi countryside and alternating depending on the location and ending in July in the city of Suio, in the municipality of Castelforte. In the latter location, starting from 1934, an annual festival was held, interrupted during the world war, but resumed starting from 1962; testifying to the high economic value and the strong link between agriculture, territory and community. However, the lack of an adequate economic policy, the industrial development at the expense of agriculture, as well as the strong competition from the products of the south of the country meant that the selling price of Biondo collapsed and, on 3 February 1969, the entire city went on strike and was «dressed in mourning», as the news of the time reported. This fruit is a native cultivar, found exclusively in the Pontine area.

The fruit is marketed in a fresh state, harvested with the leaf attached, to offer the consumer the guarantee of freshness of the product. A food processing industry for the fruit has developed on site and uses its peel, an indispensable ingredient to produce bishop, a drink that is obtained by mixing a liter of red wine with a spoonful of essence and a sugar syrup. Jams, liqueurs and desserts are also prepared with orange, according to the recipes of the local gastronomic tradition.
Around the 1940s, Dr. Onorato Dinia, together with his chemist colleague Paolo Rovesti, in order not to destroy sweet and bitter “waterfall” oranges (which had fallen from the tree also due to atmospheric events), planned their use through current distillation of vapors, obtaining a very fine extract. Currently cultivation is reserved for small areas located in the Fondi area and in the Formia, Monte San Biagio, Castelforte, Gaetae Sperlonga areas.