Umbrian Specialties: How to Tell and Use Them

A typical product belongs to a territory: it is made there. A specialty is a product that became recognizable enough to earn a written rule defining how it is made, such as a DOCG, an IGP, or a Slow Food Presidio. Not everything Umbrian is automatically a specialty. It becomes one when someone decided it was worth protecting with a production standard.

What a Slow Food Presidio Actually Certifies

A Slow Food Presidio is not an official certification like DOP or IGP. It is awarded by Slow Food's own scientific committee, a project started in 1999 to protect small-scale productions at risk of disappearing due to industrial agriculture. A Presidio's production rules are often stricter than a DOP's, and require a community of producers, not a single one, following shared standards. Fagiolina del Trasimeno is a Slow Food Presidio for this reason: not just because it is grown in Umbria, but because a group of producers agreed to grow it under a specific method to keep it from disappearing.

What to Open, and When

Umbrian specialties often have a specific moment when they are used. Truffle amaro is drunk after a meal, as a digestif. Young pecorino, with walnuts or pears, opens an aperitivo, while pit-aged pecorino di fossa or fig-paired versions close a bigger meal. Fagiolina del Trasimeno is the base for a first course, not a side dish. Truffle and honey are often chosen as a gift, since they keep well and do not need to be eaten right away.

WonderUmbria selects these specialties alongside the rest of our Umbrian product range and ships them across Italy and worldwide.