'Sfusato Amalfitano' (A Nostrato lemon crossed one more time with a 'Citron parent') (Lemon Hybrid)
What are the fruit of 'Sfusato Amalfitano' like?
The fruit of the 'Sfusato Amalfitano' cultivar is either fat, oval, and short, or fat and long. Sometimes it's fruit can be European pear shaped, or even shaped like a roundish Quince, either way the fruit has a rough outside appearance like that of some citron fruit.
The soft skin of 'Sfusato Amalfitano's fruit' is a pale bright yellow, is very smooth, can be very wrinkled, and can be lumpy. The medium to thick pearly white rind of it's fruit has a pleasant intense lemony aroma that has been compared to the scent of 'lemon drops', it is not much bitter, it's rind is surprisingly sweet, yet somewhat highly acidic, as well as fairly mild, it is very rich in essential oil, containing almost twice as much essential oil, and about twice the aroma in comparison to many other lemon cultivars, and it's super spongy pit is as soft as the flesh of a melon. It's fruit has a moderate shelf life.
Over all the oil in the peel of a lemon, is even better for you than what is in the juice of a lemon, and that oil does not even have half of the acidity that the juice has. Add to that, this cultivar of lemon is even less acidic than a normal lemon is.
The tender flesh of it's fruit has 8 to 11 segments, has an intense distinctively clean rich flavor, and a lemony aroma, that pleasantly intense semi-sweet/sour flesh is very juicy, yielding no less than 25% of its volume in juice, and is often 30 to 40% of each fruit's weight, that juice is moderately acidic/tart, just enough bitter/just enough acidic, to make you pucker a tiny little bit. It's fruit is significantly juicier, and sweeter, than many other cultivars of lemon, it's fruit has virtually no seeds, 4 to 8 seeds.
The natural lemons of 'Sfusato Amalfitano' stay natural, they are grown organic, although not certified organic, they are not treated with any type of preservatives, so they have to be transported, sold, and used fast especially if not refrigerated, they last only 2 to 3 weeks 'if refrigerated'.
The 'Sfusato Amalfitano' lemons taste better, are sweeter, have better, and more peel oil, in part because of it's DNA, and it being more citron like than normal lemons. The nearly all day sun, the long hot summers, and the warm yet cool enough winters, as well as the cool/cold nights, also make the lemons better. The 'Sfusato Amalfitano' trees are planted in nearly perfect micro-climates, in nearly perfect locations. The volcanic-enriched soil also does it's part, just like the volcanic-enriched soil in Sicily does it's part!
The fruit of 'Sfusato Amalfitano' is significantly bigger than the normal grocery store lemons of today, the size of the lemons on the same tree of this cultivar can vary a lot, fruit weighing approximately 100 grams to about 400 something grams are sold fresh, fruit weighing less than 100 grams is sold for use with food that is processed, some of these lighter in weight lemons, are about the same size as the normal grocery store lemons of today, most of the lemons of this cultivar weigh 400 something grams or less.
A tiny percentage of 'Sfusato Amalfitano' fruit can reach up to 8 inches in diameter, and weight up to about 907 grams, which is about the size of an adult human's head.
'Sfusato Amalfitano's fruit' may be smaller verses the 'Ponderosa lemon', yet 'Sfusato Amalfitano' lemons have thicker rinds, have more oil in comparison for the same weight of fruit, and are still much bigger than normal grocery store lemons of today, normal grocery store lemons of today are said to weigh 56 to 85 grams.
The 'Sfusato Amalfitano' fruit picked long enough after the constant rain stops has a stronger, and a more concentrated flavor, as well as a stronger aroma, which are the best lemons for cooking!
The 'Sfusato Amalfitano' fruit ripening during the constant rain are the best lemons for eating fresh segments, for juicing, and they are great for eating peel and all, like a peach or an apple. 'Sfusato Amalfitano' is sometimes called 'Limone pane' (bread lemon) since it can be eaten whole like bread, although it's super spongy pit is as soft as the flesh of a melon. Many people take fresh segments, sprinkle them with sugar, or salt, or drizzle them with olive oil, and add a sprig of mint. The late March - July lemons are the very best ones from that time period for eating fresh.
What foods, and other products are made with the fruit, or the flowers of 'Sfusato Amalfitano'?
The fruit of 'Sfusato Amalfitano' is used for a seemingly limitless amount of desserts/sweets, for coffee, to make fruit spreads, to make Limoncello, it's added to savory dishes like pasta, seafood dishes, pizza, or salad. The fruit can be dried.
One of the most popular sweets made with 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' lemons is 'granite di lemoni' (Granita made with 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' lemons, Granita is similar to Italian ice)
Several different restaurants in the 'Amalfi coast' have their own pizza using the famous 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' lemons (Pizza Di Amalfitana, al Limone), they are white pizzas, they have lemon juice in the crust, and they are topped with either burrata cheese, or with Mozzarella di Bufala, then topped with basil leaves, and with lemon zest, such pizzas have gotten very popular in the 'Amalfi coast'.
'Pizzeria Donna Stella', and 'Fior di pizza' each have an amazing 'Pizza Di Amalfitana, al Limone'.
One very nice thing about the 'Amalfi coast', is that a lot of restaurants there have outdoor seating amongst actual 'Sfusato Amalfitano' trees, and if you order anything with lemon in it, then that lemony food, that lemony drink, that lemony beverage, they where made from lemons in which they grew themselves.
A local honey is made from the flowers of the 'Sfusato Amalfitano'. Products like soaps, candles, and body creams are scented with the oil from 'Sfusato Amalfitano'.
Most 'Sfusato Amalfitano' lemons are sold in Europe, most of which are sold in Italy, primarily in Rome and in Milan. About 1.7 million kilograms of lemons ripen in the Amalfi coast each year, about 1 million kilograms of that is sold as actual fruit.
When does 'Sfusato Amalfitano' bloom and crop?
In the spring, and then again in the autumn, the purplish-white 'Sfusato Amalfitano' blossoms fill the air with an intense aroma.
This cultivar of lemon generally blooms/crops twice a year. The fruit of 'Sfusato Amalfitano' is normally harvested between about February 1st, and about October 31st.
The spring crop produces way more lemons, blooming starts in the autumn around early September (these flowers begin to appear almost two months before the Autumn crop begins to fully ripen), those blooms turn in to fruit that will ripen 'about 5 months later', the fruit of this crop begins to crop in early February. The best quality fruit for eating fresh, or for juicing can be picked between late March and July.
The autumn crop starts blooming in the Spring around May, those blooms turn in to fruit that will ripen 'about 5 months later', fruit starting to ripen in mid to late October.
What is 'Sfusato Amalfitano'?
'Sfusato Amalfitano' is the more descriptive name for the 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' cultivar, 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' is just the protective name for this lemon cultivar, it has been grown in the Amalfi coast since before 1646, 1646 is when the Italian Botanist 'Giovanni Battista Ferrari' was the first person to make record of the uniqueness of the current 'Sfusato Amalfitano'.
Actually some of the 'Sfusato Amalfitano' trees that still exist today were planted before 1522, over 500 years ago.
'Sfusato Amalfitano' means 'lemon of the Amalfi coast, with spindle shaped nipple', in the case of this lemon 'easily noticeable large spindle shaped nipple', 'sfusato' is Italian for 'spindle'.
The most accurate/most complete name, of the 'Sfusato Amalfitano' cultivar of lemon would be 'Femminello Sfusato Amalfitano'. It's one of the most popular, and it's one of the highest quality lemons in the world.
'Sfusato Amalfitano' is a 'Femminello' type of Lemon cultivar. All 'Femminello' means is "any top-notch lemon cultivar originating from 'Southern Italy', that contains a high percentage of oil in the peel", 'Ovale di Sorrento’ also known as 'Femminello Limone di Sorrento' also falls in to that 'Femminello' category, as does the Sicilian cultivar 'Femminello Santa Teresa', as well as the Sicilian cultivar 'Zagara Bianca', and as well as the Sicilian cultivar 'Femminello Siracusano 2KR'.
Propagation of 'Sfusato Amalfitano'
Many failed attempts have been made in the USA to reproduce the 'Sfusato Amalfitano' cultivar by seed. This cultivar appears to never grow true by seed, possibly in part due to it being a hybrid. Some of these trees still have lead to fruit bearing lemon trees, that have great fruit, the fruit is just different, some of those lemons are growing in California, and the fruit is being sold. This cultivar having few seeds is another reason why this cultivar is not so ideal for propagation by seed.
'Sfusato Amalfitano' has been rooted by cutting, although it's roots do take a while to get strong.
For these reasons I think that it makes sense to propagate 'Sfusato Amalfitano' the traditional way, by grafting it on to root stock. I believe that the 'Amalfi coast lemon farmers' might graft 'Sfusato Amalfitano' on to bitter orange, just like their neighboring 'Sorrento coast lemon farmers' do, they do share a lot of the same growing traditions after all.
Traditions of the 'Sfusato Amalfitano' cultivar
'Sfusato Amalfitano' are traditionally grown in 'lemon gardens' on the steep sloped cliff-side terraces of the Amalfi Coast known as 'Macerine', those gardens Seemingly seem to go on almost forever, such terrace gardens may be orchards, yet they are cared for like a treasured home garden, that is why they are proudly called gardens, they have wooden pergola frames made of bent down chestnut trees. The 'Sfusato Amalfitano' trees are grown 'Espalier' by being tied to the wooden frames using strands of willow. A lot of people on the Amalfi Coast grow 'Sfusato Amalfitano' on private balconies 'in pots', and in Amalfi Coast private home gardens. They are also found growing along the roadside. Due to a 2017 law change made in the Campania Region of Italy (which includes the 'Sorrento coast', and the 'Amalfi coast'). The traditional use of bent down chestnut trees can be bypassed, and metal can be used instead. Which in the long term may cost less money, as well as less time in comparison to the traditional way, due to the metal lasting longer. Traditionally 'Sfusato Amalfitano' lemons were picked by men, and carried away from the terraces by women. These days it's men that do it all. Although at least one 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' orchard is using a pulley system to bring the lemons down, and out of the terraces.
Since it takes decades to gain the experience required to grow this cultivar of lemon to the proper high standards, since the interest in growing lemons in the 'Amalfi coast' is lessening, since it is such hard work, since inflation is bringing up the cost of production, since amazing lemons originating from Sicily are being imported to the Amalfi coast, and being imported to other parts of Italy that this cultivar of lemon is exported to. For all these reasons the lemon economy of the 'Amalfi coast' might be in danger. Some old orchards there have already been lost, and some mudslides have already happened.
Limoncello using the lemons of 'Sfusato Amalfitano'
'Sfusato Amalfitano' are often called 'Limoncello lemons' because it's one of the 4 main lemon cultivars used to make a majority of the Sicilian/Southern Italian versions of 'Limoncello liqueur', about 40 percent of the 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' lemons are used to make limoncello.
'Limoncello' made with only 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' lemons are often called 'Liquore di Limone Costa d’Amalfi' or 'Liquore di Limone della Costa d’Amalfi'.
If you will be making 'Limoncello', then you'd have two options.
01) 'When the lemons are fully ripe, and very yellow', the higher end 'Limoncello' manufactures use the lemons fully ripe like this to give the 'Limoncello' an impressive yellow color without artificial coloring. This takes place every year from 'early February to July', and then again from 'Mid October to late October'.
02) 'two to three months before they are ripe' this early picking takes place from 'early November - May', and then again from early July to late August'. This is when the lemon peels are still somewhat greenish, this is when their peels have the most intense lemon flavor/lemon scent, the disadvantage to doing this, is the lack of yellow color that there would be in the 'Limoncello', and the lemon flavor would not be as well developed. Some people in the Amalfi coast, make their own homemade 'Limoncello' with lemons that are under ripe like this.
Many families in the 'Amalfi Coast' make 'Limoncello' at their homes 'with their own ‘secret’ recipe'! Sadly that tradition is starting to slowly disappear, many families in the 'Amalfi Coast' are starting to buy ready made 'Limoncello'. It can be cheaper to make 'Limoncello' at home, especially if families in the Amalfi coast grow 'Sfusato Amalfitano' at their homes. That is a main reason that a lot of families in the 'Amalfi Coast' continue to make 'Limoncello' at their homes, with their own ‘secret’ recipe.
The 'Limoncello' made in the 'Amalfi Coast' are not all the same, some are made by combining the oils of two different lemon cultivars that are commonly grown in the 'Amalfi Coast', the 'Sfusato Amalfitano' lemon, and the 'Zagara Bianca' lemon. Some 'Limoncello' manufactures in the 'Amalfi Coast', and some 'Limoncello' manufactures in other parts of Italy use only the 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' lemons in their 'Limoncello', as does many people who make homemade 'Limoncello' in their 'Amalfi Coast' based homes.
Families in the 'Amalfi Coast' have been making 'Limoncello' at home since long before 'Limoncello' was first produced by the first 'Amalfi Coast' located company. The first 'Amalfi Coast' located company to manufacture 'Limoncello', started to do so in 1989. The Cobalto family, and the Silvio family started that company which they named ' Antichi Sapori d'Amalfi'. The limoncello that this company produces is made strictly with 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' lemons.
'Zagara Bianca' may be grown in the 'Amalfi Coast' to make 'Limoncello', yet it's a Southern Italy cultivar of lemon, that most likely originated from Sicily.
Further more not all 'Limoncello' made in the 'Amalfi Coast' is made the same way, some companies use high levels of processing which could make the 'Limoncello' more bitter, some of the companies use food coloring, and so on. Also which crop of the year was used, and were the lemons fully ripe or not, a different level of of ripeness, and different amounts of water entering the roots during ripening make different kinds of 'Limoncello'. Keep an eye out for intimations of 'Amalfi Coast' 'Limoncello' made with just lemon essence, or made with fruit of poor quality. High end genuine Amalfi coast 'Limoncello' has a nearly perfect balance of bitter and of sweet.
Other lemon cultivars that are used to make 'Limoncello' in 'Southern Italy' is the 'Santa Teresa' cultivar also from Sicily, and the 'Ovale di Sorrento' cultivar from Sorrento. Lemons from the 'island of Capri' are also sometimes used to make 'Limoncello liqueur', although the lemons in Capri appear to be the same cultivar of lemons known as 'Sfusato Amalfitano'. Which is not surprising since the 'island of Capri' is a direct neighbor to the 'Amalfi Coast'. Although the 'island of Capri' is in the 'Campania region', and it is governed by Naples, it's not in the 'Sorrento coast', nor is it in the Amalfi coast.
'Limoncello' verses 'lemon extract'
Both 'Limoncello' and 'lemon extract' contain pure grain alcohol (Ethyl alcohol), water, as well as oil from lemon zest.
How they differ from each other is that all 'Limoncello' contains sugar, and 'Limoncello' made in Southern mainland Italy/Sicily has way less alcohol in it than the average 'lemon extract' has. That means that such 'Limoncello' is much safer and way more pleasant to just drink in a shot glass.
In a way 'Limoncello' is a refreshing unusually high quality 'lemon extract', without being lemon extract, while being sweet/while having less alcohol.
Unlike lemon extract 'Limoncello' has a way more complex and rich flavor, with some bitterness. The sweeter versions of 'Limoncello' are way too sweet for most people. Using the sweeter 'Limoncello' in baking, and in making candy could allow you to cut the sugar when making those things.
If made cold enough, way too sweet 'Limoncello' is surprisingly refreshing, and not too sweet, although freezing too long would weaken the flavor of the 'Limoncello' in time, so don't store it long term in the freezer. The alcohol in any 'Limoncello' that has at least 25% alcohol by volume should not freeze hard.
Most 'Limoncello' produced in the Amalfi coast using 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' lemons, has a alcohol volume of 30% to 33%. If you are looking for a 'Limoncello' made with 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' lemons that is lower in alcohol, then try the 'Terra di Limoni' brand of 'Limoncello di Amalfi', it has only 25% alcohol by volume, or try the 'Valentì Positano' brand of 'Limoncello', which appears to have only about 19% alcohol by volume.
In the Italian Riviera (the Liguria region) of Northern Italy, there is a dessert type of 'Limoncello' called 'Riviera limoncello' (or limoncino). Genoa, Italy is the capital city of 'the Liguria region', this dessert type of 'Limoncello' is about twice as sweet as some of the 'Limoncello' in the 'Amalfi Coast', although some 'Limoncello' in the 'Amalfi Coast' is just as sweet, and the 'Riviera limoncello' has an alcohol volume of about 31%. 'Riviera limoncello' has way less color than the 'Limoncello' in the 'Amalfi Coast' that might be because of the dilution caused by the additional sugar in the sweetest 'Limoncello'. It might also have something to do with the lemons in (the Liguria region) having less oil in the peel.
Most 'Limoncello' produced in Sicily, has a alcohol volume of 25% to 28%, yet I have noticed one such brand with a alcohol volume of 30%.
'Limoncello' it's self is used beyond just a ingredient for baking, it's also used in non baked sweets, as an ice cream topping, and they even drink it as is, chilled in a ceramic shot glass after a meal, served ice cold, yet not frozen.
A little history of Lemons in the 'Amalfi Coast'
While visiting the Amalfi coast, beyond edible goodies, tourists can also easily find lemon themed postcards, ceramics, magnets, clothes, skin care products, soap, and many so ons. Yet just like other parts of Europe not all of the things are truly originating from the exact local area, in this case the Amalfi coast, even the lemon themed food, can be from the nearby 'Sorrento coast', or from 'farther away'.
'Maiori', and 'Minori' were the two first parts of the 'Amalfi coast' to grow lemons.
The 'Amalfi Coast' had lemons possibly originating from the 'Roman Empire' as far back as 900 AD, over a thousand years ago, lemons were brought to the 'Amalfi coast' by trade with the 'Byzantine Empire, middle east'. Trade that took place with the town of 'Minori', which is located in the Amalfi coast.
Those first lemons of the 'Amalfi Coast' were what we call today 'true lemons', which are also known as 'Nostrato', 'Nostrato' are a hybrid cross between 'Citrons' (known as 'Cedro' in Italy), and bitter oranges.
The cultivar of 'Nostrato' that had become popular in the 'Amalfi Coast' had become known as 'Gloria d' Amalfi', it was the original 'Sfusato Amalfitano'. Unfortunately 'Gloria d' Amalfi' nearly got wiped out by some disease in the 1600s or the 1700s, following that about 300 years later a 32 year old man named 'Valerio Bonito', from the village of 'Minori', he found and rescued some 'Gloria d' Amalfi' by grafting it to 'Sfusato Amalfitano'. Some plants of 'Gloria d' Amalfi' to this day just barley survives the disease, surviving 'Gloria d' Amalfi' they keep dying back from the disease, like normal plants die back with the cold, unable to produce because of the disease, which forced a need to create a replacement lemon that was resistant against the disease, and so came to be 'Sfusato Amalfitano'. 'Sfusato Amalfitano' was a major success, not only making an even better quality, and much bigger lemon fruit than the original one, also 'Sfusato Amalfitano' appears to be resistant to that citrus disease that still exists in the Amalfi coast to this day, 'Sfusato Amalfitano' was created so that lemons could keep growing in the Amalfi coast. 'Sfusato Amalfitano' appears to be 'Gloria d' Amalfi' with even more Citron added to it using hybridization.
'Zagara Bianca' verses 'Lunario' vs 'Eureka'
'Sfusato Amalfitano' might be the most popular and the most well known lemon of the 'Amalfi Coast', although there are two other popular cultivars of lemon in the 'Amalfi Coast' that get mixed up with each other.
One is called 'Zagara Bianca' which in some ways is very similar to the 'Lunario' cultivar of the 'Amalfi Coast'.
The easiest, and the quickest ways to tell these two different 'pure white blooming' cultivars apart, is unlike 'Zagara Bianca', the 'Lunario' cultivar has purplish toned flower buds, and purplish toned young leaves, while the young leaves of 'Zagara Bianca' are a light green. Both these cultivars have blooms that resembles the white blooms of an orange tree.
Both cultivars of lemon have the same lemon shape, yet just the same the fruits of 'Lunario' are the longer of the two.
'Lunario' is popular in Provence France.
'Eureka' Lemon appears to be similar to 'Lunario', and 'Eureka' Lemon was grown from a seed that come from a 'Lunario' lemon. One noticeable difference between 'Eureka' Lemon, and 'Lunario', is that the fruit of 'Lunario' is the bigger of the two, and 'Lunario' appears to have more citron in it's DNA.
More about 'Sfusato Amalfitano'
Anyone growing 'Sfusato Amalfitano' outside of the 13 protected areas of the Amalfi coast should call this lemon cultivar 'Sfusato Amalfitano', even if a person feels that he or she has managed to get the fruit exactly like the real thing, because that person still would not live in the right area.
'Sfusato Amalfitano' has a sturdy structure, and it has a few thorns.
The leaves of this lemon cultivar do not look like lemon leaves, the leaves of this cultivar do highly resemble the leaves of some citron cultivars, the top side of it's leaves are a somewhat glossy dark green, and that top side has an almost silk like texture, the bottom side of it's leaves are a way lighter green, that bottom side is not glossy, and is almost transparent. The edges of it's leaves are serrated, and clearly so. Some of it's leaves have rounded to slightly rounded tips/top ends, yet some have pointed top ends, some of it's leaves are elongated, others grow wide.
Speaking of this lemon cultivar's leaves, it's tender young leaves can be consumed, and you can even serve food on them 'like pasta, like fish', you can even batter those leaves, and fry them. You can roll up food in the larger not tender leaves like they do in 'Greece' with grape leaves, eating the food with the leaves wrapped around the food. You can wrap cheese in those larger not so tender leaves, and smoke them. The leaves can also be dried, and used to make a tea, with honey.
There are at least 2 disease free cloned trees of the real 'Sfusato Amalfitano', in the 'Continental USA', that are grown outside of the citrus growing states.
An illusion of 'Sfusato Amalfitano'
Tourists visiting the Amalfi coast are fooled when they see what appears to them as being, even larger 'Sfusato Amalfitano' lemons than what they see being sold, while it's true that the largest 'Sfusato Amalfitano' lemons are rarely seen being sold, what they are seeing often is not 'Sfusato Amalfitano', they are probably seeing Cedro (Italian for citron), those supposed lemons ranging up to a whopping '10 to 15 inches in diameter are not lemons, although they do smell like them, they falsely assume that it's the famous lemon, so rumors start, exaggerations of how big the lemons can get are told, those giant lemons that they see growing in orchards are most likely not lemons, yet from a distance they do resemble the fruit of 'Sfusato Amalfitano', sort of a mock 'Sfusato Amalfitano'. On the Inside, the Cedro is mostly white, about 70% of the fruit’s volume, they are only good for the peels, the oil, the scent, for their appearance, and the flowers for honey bees.
To lessen the confusion a little, in Italy like in other parts of Europe plant naming is often kept simple, for example many people in Italy have a habit of calling anything with a lemony scented citrus fruit a lemon. sometimes they call Italian Cedro, Cedro lemons, or just lemons.
What is 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi', it's confusing!
To be called 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi', the fruit of 'Sfusato Amalfitano' has to follow strict P.G.I. rules (protected Geographical Indication). 'The Aceto family' is greatly responsible for this strict P.G.I. being put in to place, that family which has their own orchard of mainly 'Sfusato Amalfitano' lemon trees is doing a lot to help promote and to protect these trees.
If a lemon product lists having 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi P.G.I.', or lists having 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi I.G.P.', then the product is actually using the law to claim that it does contain 'Sfusato Amalfitano', people with counterfeit products were getting away with counterfeiting, and so 'the Aceto family', they felt the need to protect their products/company from the poor quality counterfeit products, making them look bad. Since the counterfeiters can't use this law to claim that they are selling the real thing, that is a way to not actually have to go after them, while protecting their products, so only buy amalfi coast lemons/amalfi coast lemon products if they are marked with 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi P.G.I.', or with 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi I.G.P.', the label or the sign should say one of those two things, that's a great way to bypass the counterfeit lemons/lemon products. Even baked goods use that law to claim having the real thing.
'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' means 'Lemons from the Amalfi Coast', in English it's often called 'Amalfi Coast Lemons'.
For the fruit of 'Sfusato Amalfitano' to be called 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi', it has to be grown in one or more of the following 13 places
In the city of:
01) Amalfi
In the town(s) of:
02) Atrani
03) Cetara
04) Conca dei Marini
05) Furore
06) Maiori
07) Minori
08) Positano
09) Praiano
10) Ravello
11) Scala
12) Tramonti
13) Vietri sul Mare
For 'Sfusato Amalfitano' fruit to be called 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi', it has to come from a lemon tree that has been exclusively identified as 'Sfusato Amalfitano' by a nursery which has been authorized by the 'Campania Region', as long as the tree is located in one or more of the above 13 different locations. The same is true for the 'Sfusato Amalfitano' fruit that was processed in to food products.
No other lemon, and no other lemony citrus can be identified as 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi', it can only be 'Sfusato Amalfitano', for a lemon tree to be identified as a 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' tree.
'Sfusato Amalfitano' is protected under a strict P.G.I., which not only verifies the true location grown, it also verifies that the 'Sfusato Amalfitano' are being grown in the proper climate, by experts whose families have been perfecting growing the best 'Sfusato Amalfitano' lemon fruit, for hundreds of years.
For 'Sfusato Amalfitano' to be called 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi', the growers must follow strict watering guidelines, that involve not watering anymore beyond about June 22nd of each year to avoid watering down the taste of the lemons, when nature usually takes care of the watering all by it's self, too much water during ripening lowers fruit quality, also for the fruit to be called 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' the trees have to be planted on the proper sloping cliff side type of locations where the roots grow in a unusually well draining location, excess water dripping off the side of the cliff.
P.G.I. protection under the name 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' goes even farther than that, by using the law to verify that only approved anti-fungal sprays that fight the 'Mal Secco' disease, which are 'zero-residue products' have been used. 'Mal Secco' disease is common in the 'Amalfi Coast'.
The P.G.I. protection also requires pergolas to be used to protect the trees from the wind, this not only prevents damage caused directly by the wind, 'Mal Secco' disease is spread by that wind, blocking that wind does help prevent the spread of the disease some.
Since at least 1973 'Mal Secco' disease has sickened citrus trees in the Amalfi coast, "The fungus reaches the plants carried by the wind. Through the leaves, it penetrates the trunk, and causes the death of the tree»." - Mariano Vinaccia, president of the 'Cooperative Solagri', this quote was originally in Italian.
In about 1993, a project was started to destroy 'Mal Secco' infected 'home grown plants'.
A somewhat new program has been started to destroy 'Mal Secco' infected plants, which are growing on abandoned farms, to prevent the 'Mal Secco' disease from spreading further.
Thanks to local government aid, diseased 'Limone Costa d’Amalfi' trees are replaced quickly, helping to insure that the many many lemon farms/gardens of the 'Amalfi coast' survive, not only protecting a massive lemon based economy, also protecting the 'Amalfi coast' it's self from a climate based destruction, the roots of the lemon trees constantly prevent massive mudslides, that could and would destroy the 'Amalfi coast'.
Each generation of lemon farmers, in the 'Amalfi Coast', has worked very hard to find new ways to improve the quality of the lemon fruit that they grow, and the mere existence of the trees protects the 'Amalfi Coast' from it's destruction, so they should have the right to protect the trees that the fruit grows on, to protect their profits, and to especially protect their reputations.
Such a law is used to protect the reputation of the hard working farmers that grow the real thing in the right way.
What are true lemons really?
Lots of people consider 'nostrato' to be true lemons, which are hybrid crosses between 'Citrons' (known as 'Cedro' in Italy), and bitter oranges. Other people consider any citrus, in which it's fruit smells lemony, to be a lemon! It's not just that way in Italy either, because the citron 'Buddha's hand' is considered a lemon.
Although keep in mind that not all citrons smell lemony, and not all citrons resemble lemons by appearance, for example 'Buddha's hand' looks nothing like a lemon with exception to the color of it's zest.
