Prescinsêua - a taste of the Mediterranean

 

Prescinsêua is a fresh curd cow’s milk cheese from Liguria, a gourmet glory from the province of Genoa - in Savona, the curd is called zuncò, giuncata, because the netting - ö görettö - in which it is drained was made of giunco – i.e., reed). Several years ago, we met Paolo Bellone from L.y.l.a.g. when my business partner Umberto Curti was invited to shoot a video at their premises. This is where prescinsêua (made with fresh milk from Centro Latte Rapallo) is prepared, in the same place where the Virtus brand yoghurt was born. Paolo is the son of Vincenzo, now 94 years old, the founder of the business (please note that yoghurt was not originally a fashionable product as it is today). 

On November 24th, I was invited to attend L.y.l.a.g’s dinner event to celebrate their 70 years of activity, an entrepreneurial history of commitment, well-being, and traditional, quality products. The company will become part of the Centrale del Latte d'Italia S.p.A. group, Italy's third-largest player in the milk and dairy sector. Mario Restano, Latte Tigullio's marketing director, emphasised the peculiarity and healthiness of this product, with its outstanding nutritional profile (as well as the protagonist of the dinner menu). 

In the 1970s the availability of prescinsêua diminished dramatically and was limited to local shepherds or self-production. In the 1980s, it made a comeback thanks to the joint commitment of Centro Latte Rapallo and L.y.l.a.g.

 

Prescinsêua: history in a nutshell

Back in the 15th century, a doctor was careful not to include prescinsêua on the blacklist of cheeses that are harmful to health. Furthermore, it featured among the welcome gifts to the Doge of Genoa. For a long time, prescinsêua – with a little honey - was the breakfast of farmers and shepherds. Its popularity is also witnessed by the ancient saying 'if milk has gone bad, we'll make prescinsêua' (a rough equivalent of ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade’). In the 18th century, Genoese librettist-poet Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni paid homage to prescinsêua with words that made it fully 'synonymous' with the city.

 

Prescinsêua: a star of the Ligurian cookbook

Sciamadde, faïnotti and törtâe – the traditional eating joints in the carruggi of Genoa and other regional Ligurian specializing in fried dishes and local street food – definitely cannot do without prescinsêua. 

The lightly-sour taste of prescinsêua pleasantly matches potatoes, cucumbers, boiled dried chestnuts, and berries. Yet, it plays a central part in traditional vegetable savoury pies (once known as gattafure), spread in a top layer featuring hollows where egg yolks are placed - the symbolic representation of the sun’s path of the sun. Next, traditional pansoti, the vegetable pot-bellied stuffed pasta where prescinsêua plays the lead role with preböggiön (i.e., traditional wild herbs and greens mix) - a far cry from the banal spinach and ricotta tortelli that now invade supermarket shelves. After, walnut sauce, as an alternative to breadcrumbs soaked in sheep's milk. Again, barbagiuai pumpkin fritters from the province of Imperia, stuffed baked anchovies, and ubiquitous bruschetta. Last but not least, contemporary cheesecakes, are the choice of fashionable restaurants (also opt for a mouth-watering glass of prescinsêua with honey biscuits or with cocoa canestrelli).

 

Prescinsêua and the Focaccia di San Giorgio

Prescinsêua is also one of the protagonists of the 'Focaccia di San Giorgio' (St George's Focaccia) that we, as the GenovaWorld association, conceived and successfully presented during a lively press conference on 8th September, after signing two separate memorandums of understanding with COOP Liguria and Latte Tigullio, two highly reliable brands that have wholeheartedly embraced the project. The recipe also includes Ligurian taggiasche olives, Ligurian potatoes, Ligurian anchovies, and Ligurian oregano. The Tossini laboratory in Recco is also producing it for those COOP outlets that do not have a bakery, and new, well-sized companies will soon join the initiative - the 'Focaccia di San Giorgio' will likely act as a promoter of the image of Genoa (and Liguria) abroad.  

 

Long live prescinsêua!

Luisa Puppo 

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