A Day in the Home of the Leek: A Trip to Cervere

In ancient Egypt the leek was already being grown around 2000 BC, but according to some scholars this precious vegetable may even have Celtic origins. What's certain is that the Egyptian slaves also drew their strength from leeks to build the pyramids, and later, among the celebrities who were greedy for this food, was the Roman emperor Nero, nicknamed "the leek-eater", since he used to eat them in great quantities to clear his voice. Today the capital of the leek is Cervere, a pretty municipality in the Cuneo area where every year tens of thousands of people take part in the Leek Fair, which this year returns for the 33rd time from 9 to 25 November. Arriving in the village, we immediately buy a large bunch of leeks and discover that in reality the great autumn harvest festival is preceded by almost a year of careful work.

The "giant winter long leek", that is the Cervere leek, is grown using traditional methods, manually earthing up the stems to make them so long and white. Besides the tall leek stems, the symbol of Cervere is the medieval tower a full 33 metres high. Located on the hill of San Filippo, it stands out from a distance as if it wanted to tell the historical events of the village that all took place around there. In fact, the fortified tower is what remains of the castle, mentioned for the first time in 984 and demolished in 1274 during a ferocious battle between the Astigiani and Charles of Anjou. The castle was later rebuilt, only to be demolished again in the 16th century. In the 1200s the whole settlement of Cervere was located on the hill of San Filippo, and it's after the war of 1274 that the village was rebuilt in its current place.

During our walk in the centre we admire the Confraternita Santa Croce, which is the 1289 reconstruction of the old church. Next to it stands the Campanile di Santa Maria, probably from the same period. A little further on we also visit the parish church of Cervere and, after a lovely tour among the characteristic streets where we also notice several old palaces with pretty corner watchtowers, we decide to stop for dinner in the heart of the village, in Piazza San Sebastiano, at the Ristorante Gambero Rosso. The spectacular fish display at the entrance welcomes us into this elegant seaport on the edge of the Langhe, built with great love by the owners, Mr Olivier and Mrs Sara. "I come from the sea of Salento, while my wife is originally from the mountains of Cuneo.

Our dishes are the fruit of the colours and flavours of the South, of traditional Mediterranean recipes and of Sara's passion for always discovering new pairings. So we bring to the table very fresh fish cooked according to simple recipes, meat dishes from the Piedmontese tradition, special salads that are rather rich one-dish meals, as well as authentic pizzas cooked in the wood-fired oven and available in winter, summer and standard versions. On request the Plateau Royal is also available, a plate of raw fish for true connoisseurs," Mr Olivier tells us. We start with fresh oysters and the seafood salad of the house. Many of us choose the "Misto mare reale", a rich one-dish meal that includes all the starters of the house. We also taste a little soup with croutons and the moscardini all'umido.

While the little ones of the group take the children's menu and some of us choose the crunchy pizzas, we continue with the spaghetti al cartoccio and the spaghetti alle vongole in bianco. One of the stars of the first courses is the risotto al Gambero Rosso, whose ingredients are blended together in twenty minutes of careful cooking. We also taste the ravioli filled with salt cod, the linguine with lobster and the cicatelli, a homemade Salento pasta with mussels and clams, as well as the chitarrine, which resemble spaghetti but are square, with cuttlefish ink, prawns, rocket and cherry tomatoes. We wash down these good things with wines from the area, but also national ones, chosen from about fifty selected labels. We continue with dishes of very fresh fish, enjoying sea bass, sea bream and salt-baked swordfish.

Part of the group opts for a lovely mixed fish grill that is cleaned in front of us, while our friends choose the excellent fry of fresh small fish. The "carnivores" of the group enjoy rib steaks and fabulous beef tagliate. Finally we delight in a series of very good homemade desserts, including the warm tarte tatin, served with a scoop of custard ice cream, the little cake with a warm chocolate heart, the tasty amaretti semifreddi, as well as various bavaresi, the tiramisù, the bunet and the cakes of the house, invented each time. We'll certainly be back here soon, not only for the Leek Fair, but also for a healthy trek around the municipality once called Area Cervorum, that is the park of the deer.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Pizzeria Il Gambero Rosso Piazza San Sebastiano, 26 Cervere (CN) Tel.: 0172/474751