Menu principale:
"Sagra del Lattarino" history
Marta is a small town, living from time on the shores of Bolsena's lake, one of the most beautiful and uncontamineted one in Italy. Its citizens(called "martani") are very active; they till the land and they produce some oil and a very appreciated wine called "Cannaiola".
They yield also a fish haul, famous from Dante's age, that they trade and carry with great efficiency.
Thirty years ago a martan friends group ( Giuseppe Fratini, Antonio Lisoni, Costantino Scatarcia, Danilo Paganini helped out by some pro-fisherman like Pepparello, Gigge l'Grosso, l'Draghetto and Giuliano "il bitter"), attentive and sensible, enthusiastic for and aware of the extraordinary landscapes and about the lake gastronomical treasures, established a cultural circle in memory of Alberto Lisoni, and from this it derived a concrete, practical and original action for those times: the "Sagra del Lattarino"
Slowly, little by little, this festival asserts itself and it's became one of the greatest one in the Viterbo province, and it is well-known and appreciated not only in Italy but also in many other european country. A three metres diameter big frying-pan dominates on a pedestal in the park along the shore of the lake.
The little fishes, just catched and covered with flour, are threw in the boiling and odorous oil. The fragrant fry, served on ceramic bowls, it haven't time to cool off itself...Thousands of customers all around are served from a swarm of many white dressed volunteers, boys and girls, they're not waiters but only hospitable friends; the fryers are fishermen and so are the cashiers, all natives that serve you.
The people crunch the fry; the "lattarino" was ate up in its entirety, also the head, enjoying panorama, meeting people, making relationships.
Towards sunset, many cars leave Marta...a well spended time...a remembrance of authentic things made by real people.
If you come here, you'll come back...if you come back, you'll return again.
LATTERINO
Latin name: Atherina boyeri (Risso
Family: Aterenidi Atherinidae
Order: Mugiliformes
Morphology: Tall and small body with a green-gray and black-pointed rear; a lateral silver band, clear abdomen, two grey-silver pins on the back:the first one inserted behind the vertical joining the chest rear edge with the abdomen pin center; a clear silver band is on the flanks, nearly the 4th and 5th scales row.
Size: 12 cm, rarely 15 cm ( at 5 years old)
Habitat: it lives in much numerous shoals in fresh and brackish water; it's present in some central Italy lakes (one of those is the Bolsena's). It's a very savaged species by other fishes and so it represents an important alimentary chain link .
Feeding: planctonic invertebrates
Reproduction: it reproduces itself in during spring-summer seasons, it deposit about 600 eggs per female one in more rounds along a few days distance. The eggs have a 2mm diameter and they got filiform protuberances with which they stick to the stones.
Their meat is quite good, and for this they're object of an efficient professional fishing activity and they're present on the fish market, both the fresh or the pickled one.
THE RECIPES.
PICKLED LATTARINI
Ingredients: 1 kg of lattarini,
4 small rosemary branches,
4 garlic cloves,
15 sage sheets,
2 chili peppers,
1/4 lt.wine,
1/4 lt. water,
1/2 lt.vinegar,
1 salt spoon.
Make boiling all the smells into the water, wine and vinegar for about 1 hour. To pour the whole over the previously fried without flour lattarini.
VINEGAR LATTARINI.
Ingredients: 1/2 kg of lattarini
3 olive oil spoons
2 vinegar spoons
1 small rosemary branch
2 garlic cloves
1 chili pepper
Make the smells frying in olive oil, add the lattarini and 3 vinegar spoons, made them roast in 180/200 degrees oven for about 20 minutes
LATTARINO BUIONATO
Ingredients: 1 kg of lattarini
3 garlic cloves
1 small rosemary branch
4 sage sheets olive oi vinegar
1/2 kg tomato sauce chili pepper
Make the lattarini frying without flout and make them cool; make the "buione" ready, frying slowly all the smells, then add the tomato sauce and a half glass of vinegar.Make cook the whole for about 30 minutes on a slow fire then put the hot mixture over the lattarini. Served up hot or cool.
LATTARINO'S SOUP
Ingredients: 1/2 kg of lattarini
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 small field balm tuft
2 chili peppers
olive oil
1/4 glass of win
300 gr. of peeled tomatoes
Make all the smells slowly frying in abundant olive oil;add lattarini, wine and tomatoes; salt them all; add 1 lt of water.Make the whole boiling for about 20 minutes. Put the broth on a plate full of toasted bread slices.