Identikit and main features
In Saluzzo there is a particular variety of plums called “ramassin”; it is a small-sized fruit, about 10g weight, rarely it overcomes 15 g. This plum are oval and its colour varies from yellow to an intense violet-blue. The “ramassin” or “dalmassin” have a characteristic white wax bloom on the peel. The yellow pulp is delicate, sweet and aromatic and it comes off easily from the core. When these plums reach full ripening they come off and for this reason they are generally picked up from the ground. The ripening begins the second decades of July.
Area of production
The area of production includes the Saluzzo plane and hilly territories, but the centre of production is the Bronda valley (Cuneo).
History
The term “ramassin” comes from Damascus and so it seems that this cultivation has been introduced by the Saracens or in the Crusades period. In Piedmont, this cultivation initially spread in the hilly areas of Turin thanks to the Benedictines coming from France; it spread to the Saluzzo area only some time later. The Valle Bronda became an important productive and trading centre to the point that two markets, entirely dedicated to the “Ramassin”, used to be held every evening: one was in Pagno and the other in Frazione San Lazzaro (Saluzzo).
