Sapa is a traditional Marche product, and considered real country fare, a non alcoholic, concentrated must. It’s extremely dense with a delicious caramelised taste and similar in aspect to the traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena. The origins of the Marche’s Sapa date back to 180 BC, when it was used by the Ancient Romans to reinforce their weak must. In the Marche region it has always been used as a dressing for polenta, eaten together it the polenta was placed on a board, and a whole created in the middle into which was poured the sapa. Every fellow diner would take a piece of the polenta and season it with the sapa - in Le Marche “Lo insapava” means to dip it into the hole in the middle.
THE PRODUCT
SAPA, made by producers Si.Gi is obtained through a slow baking process of the must from red grapes (Montepulciano and Sangiovese) and white grapes, (Verdicchio, Maceratino, Malvasia, Trebbiano). It’s a process which lasts 24 to 28 hours. Cinnamon, cloves and lemon rind are added to the must. According to tradition open copper kettles are used in order to ensure a slower cooking process. The resulting densely concentrated syrup is then kept in wooden barrels for at least 10 to 12 months during which time sugar crystals are deposited at the bottom allowing the syrup to be carefully extracted.
It is interesting to note that only 16 - 18 litres of high quality SAPA come from 100 litres of must. Its bronze colour with golden tints offer the first hints as to its sweet aroma and mild acidity. It is ideal served with sauces, polenta, meat, cheese, ricotta, ice cream, fruit jam and marinated fish and offers a delicious alternative to the usual balsamic vinegars.
WHY AZIENDA AGRICOLA Si.Gi.
From the passion of the producers a range of colours is born, perfectly designed to enrich the dishes of those with a creative flair in the kitchen, keen to explore past traditions. The ethos of producers “Si.Gi”, is to bring back and appreciate the fruits previously used in Marche gastronomic traditions, stepping back to days gone by using traditional cooking methods which recapture the process for making home made jams which retain all the nutritional properties.
Si Gi produces the figs organically, adhering to ISO certificate 9001, which respects the seasonal nature of the fruit. No thickening agents or preservatives are used, not even natural substances.
Both the consistency and density of the product are obtained through the various cooking methods, this involves a very low quantity per kg of the fruit thereby offering a quantity of vitamins and mineral salts for every 100g of the product, beyond comparison to other produce.