Description

Missoltino is a processed fish preserve (salted and dried agoni), typical of Lake Como, whose raw material is the species Agone. A typical recipe of the area using lake fish is "missoltini con polenta," a recipe based on dried and salted agoni, served together with polenta.

This dish can be prepared with to agoni caught in the large subalpine lakes of Lombardy (Lario, Garda, Iseo, Ceresio). For the preparation of "missoltini," almost exclusively small- to medium-sized (15-20 cm) individuals, caught in June, are used. The complex processing of missoltino is subject to a historical tradition.
The origin of the term "missoltino" is still not entirely clear. Some say their name is due precisely to the use of salt (put in salt). Others, say it means "miss in dul tin," meaning "put in vats" called "missolte," in which dried fish were pressed to remove the fat.