Each Municipality has typical and traditional products that are historically linked to the territory and whose recipes are handed down from generation to generation. Commonly, these are products of peasant origin, which do not require many and refined ingredients, but simple and easy to find. Despite this, they are considered food and wine excellences, a source of pride and promotion for the territory itself. Many of these, due to their uniqueness and importance on a cultural level, are given the appointment of “Municipal Denomination”.
The mark De. Co. is not intended "as a quality mark or even as a certification", but it is a certificate that is initially decreed by the Municipality and, subsequently, marked by the Mayor, whose origin derives from Law no. 142 of 8 June 1990. With this denomination, that is "Municipal Denomination", the link that exists between the territory and certain products is affirmed, also protecting their identity.
More precisely, this attestation can be divided into three groups. In the first one there are typical products, such as the Brallo potato, food crafts products, such as "Miccone" of Stradella, and artisanal products. The second group includes recipes that are culturally linked to the territory and that are part of its tradition, the festivals dedicated to a typical product or dish, knowledge, such as a particular cultivation technique, and the territory. Finally, the third group includes the De. Co. known as "multiple", therefore those traditions that involve components belonging to both the two previous groups.
Each element recognized as a "Municipal Denomination" is entered in the regional register De. Co. accompanied by all the information regarding the origins and today's producers. This "constitutes the guiding reference for the Municipalities in order to create homogeneous paths and procedures in the attribution of the De.Co. mark".
In order to obtain it, the product in question must be linked to the territory, both historically and culturally, and to local traditions: "traditional products", in fact, "are defined as those agri-food products whose processing and conservation methods are consolidated over time, homogeneous throughout the territory concerned, according to traditional rules, for a period of not less than twenty-five years". Consequently, the production must be carried out according to typical custom and with ingredients accepted by the legislation in place, therefore GMOs are excluded (genetically modified organisms). A further requirement is the observance of all provisions related to hygiene, the use of pesticides and all regulations concerning the agri-food sector, such as the quality, production, preparation and marketing of the product. An exception, however, can be presented by processed products and gastronomic preparations where their specification indicates whether the components must all be specific to the territory or just some.
Typical products and the De.Co. mark for the protection of the traditions of the territory
Among typical food, artisanal products and recipes, the importance of the De.Co. mark to certify their origin and promote the territory.
Each territory can boast numerous typical and traditional products that are unique in their kind, in fact, there are some of them which have been given the title of "Municipal Denomination".
The De.Co. mark was born from a law, more precisely the Law n. 142 and is also a source of pride for many Municipalities in the Oltrepò Pavese area. It certifies that a specific product, be it food or artisanal, but also a specific recipe, are considered original and typical of the place.
There are many delicacies that boast this recognition, helping to enhance the places they come from and to guarantee their historical and cultural link with the territory. The "Miccone" of Stradella, the "Malfatti" of Fortunago, the potato of Brallo and the "Mundiöla" of Montesegale are just some of the examples of De.Co. that belong to and characterize the Oltrepò.
Discover other traditional products and which ones have this mark, where to find them and, in many cases, where to taste them.