It Started as a Delicious Discovery in Florence...
It all started with a bite of a butter cookie at The Rocchi Bakery in Florence. The rich, toasty flavor of organic sesame seeds was so extraordinary and we had to find the source.
These weren't just any sesame seeds – they came from the Gambuzza Family farm in Ispica, southeastern Sicily, and carry the prestigious Slow Food Presidium designation.
From the charming village of Ragusa in Sicily's radiant landscapes, the Organic Sesame of Ispica represents a family legacy dating back to the 1960's.
The Artisanal Process:
Each May, seeds are carefully sown in plots specifically chosen for their distance from intensive farming. The plants grow up to 200 centimeters tall under Sicily's golden sun, then are hand-harvested in mid-September. After sun-drying in open fields, the seeds are threshed and cleaned using time-honored traditional techniques.
A Thousand Years of Sicilian Tradition
Sesame seeds aren't just ingredients in Sicily – they're woven into the island's culinary soul. Brought by Arab settlers over 1,000 years ago, sesame has flourished in Sicily's perfect climate and become essential to iconic dishes like Giuggiulena (traditional sesame-honey candy) and the distinctive sesame-topped Pane Siciliano. This ancient tradition lives on in every seed the Gambuzza Family cultivates.
Sesame seeds aren't just ingredients in Sicily – they're woven into the island's culinary soul. Brought by Arab settlers over 1,000 years ago, sesame has flourished in Sicily's perfect climate and become essential to iconic dishes like Giuggiulena (traditional sesame-honey candy) and the distinctive sesame-topped Pane Siciliano. This ancient tradition lives on in every seed the Gambuzza Family cultivates.
Contact us to learn more or to place an order: orders@ritrovo.com
