Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda PDO is a fresh vegetable produced using the Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda ecotype of the Solanum aethiopicum species.
The production area of Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda PDO covers the municipalities of Rotonda, Viggianello, Castelluccio Superiore and Castelluccio Inferiore, in the province of Potenza, in the Basilicata region.
The Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda PDO has a rounded shape similar to a tomato and weighs up to 200 g. At the beginning of ripening it has greenish hues. At the beginning of ripening it has greenish shades, while when it is well ripe it has a bright orange color tending to bright red. The flesh is fleshy. The scent is intense and fruity, reminiscent of prickly pears; the taste is spicy, pleasantly bitter at the end.
The Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda PDO has African origins. During the period of colonialism, in fact, many families from Rotonda moved to the new territories conquered by the fascist regime to find work. In 1935, before the outbreak of the war in Ethiopia, those who returned home brought this "curious" eggplant. The adaptation of this species to the territory was such that it transformed itself until it even differed from the African species from which it originally came, with the same orange colour but without streaks and with a more elongated shape. Because of these peculiarities, which make it look like a tomato, in the local dialect this aubergine has taken the name of merlingiana a pummadora. Fresh Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda PDO should be kept in the refrigerator or in a suitable dry place. Traditionally, they are kept nzertate, or tied in bunches and hung under canopies to dry. They are also excellent preserved in oil and vinegar. There are many recipes in the cuisine of Basilicata which celebrate this very particular eggplant: fried and flavoured with mint and garlic; combined with caciocavallo podolico cheese to dress fusilli; mixed with sausage in amazing meatballs. You can also use the leaves, which are more tender than those of the other varieties of eggplant and very different in shape and size.
