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This small blue-violet plum, very popular all over Piedmont (and known by different names in the local dialects) is almost unknown in other Italian regions. “Ramassin” comes from the name of the so-called “damaschina” plum variety, which, in turn, refers, to the Syrian city of Damascus, the original place of its cultivation.
These plums are grown on very rustic crops, always used as colonizing plants on the most secluded and challenging soils.

The cultivation in the Monviso area is so ancient that there is no specific documentation about it, but some records in the municipal archives of Saluzzo. Around Bronda, in particular, the “Ramassin” plum is grown in a small valley a few miles from Saluzzo. The particular microclimate and the hilly terrain at some 1.640 ft above sea level are extraordinarily suited to deliver an excellent harvest every single year. The harvest takes place in early July, when the very delicate fruits have reached full maturity.

These plums are good when fresh, but they’re also excellent when dried, used for preserves, or cooked and stored for the winter in glass jars.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)