That's why those Girotti d'Amelia are different from the other stuffed figs of Italy
THE Girotti figs of Amelia They are unique. Because they have characteristics that make them different from all the other stuffed figs in Italy, starting from history and the period machinery that is still used to produce them.
The history of Girotti figs
Amelia has been known since Roman times for its figs. "There were trees everywhere, they grew on the walls, in the most inaccessible corners. And then many more figs were consumed today, especially dried ones, as a stock for the winter and an energy source for working in the fields ". According to some Statutes of 1330 and 1346, in the Middle Ages, among the various obligations of the Amerini there was that of bringing to the Pope annually centum pignatuli ficuum, that is, a hundred pignattelli of figs, which were shipped to Orte and then reached Rome across the Tiber. It was precisely in the wake of this tradition that in 1820 in Amelia, Mr. Antonio Girotti, a man active in politics, a friend of Garibaldi, decided to start marketing these stuffed fruits. Initially they were more square, then thanks to a special press they took on the characteristic circular shape that still today distinguishes them from all the others.
What are Girotti figs
Girotti d'Amelia figs are wheels of figs stuffed with dried fruit and pressed. They differ in having a round shape, given by a particular ancient press, conceived and designed by Mr. Girotti, which works more or less like this: a lever is raised, figs cut in two are placed in the molds, filled with toasted almonds, peels candied orange, cocoa and nuts; then it is covered with another layer of figs, the press is closed to exert pressure and finally reopens, to obtain these wheels of figs that characterize the girotti from all the others. In addition to the basic dough, other variants were born: there is the red package with candied fruit, the blue one with toasted almonds, green with walnuts and brown with chocolate. Girotti figs are a riot of flavors, the quintessence of dried fruit, and for this reason everyone likes them and they have had an incredible success everywhere, even overseas.
The boom of the Girotti figs
After Antonio, the Girotti company first passed into the hands of his son Odoardo, then in 1914 into those of Quirino. It was with him that the business acquired a more modern face, precisely at a time when Italian politics was based on dynamism and renewal. It was the end of the 1920s, when the 1929 crisis was beginning to have its harmful effects felt in Europe as well. Quirino, on the other hand, strongly believed in advertising, investing a lot of economic resources in this sector, so much so that it was thanks to him that the Girotti figs became known and widespread also in America. During the Thirties, advertising plates were installed in all the railway stations in Italy, then small cups and fruit bowls were ordered with the words "Fichi Girotti, the sweet fruit specialty of Amelia" to be distributed in the major restaurants and buffets of the Stations of Italy. In 1933 they were advertised on the blue ribbon Rex transatlantic and travel baskets were introduced in the Royal Railways. In addition, the company was a supplier of the Royal House, the Mille Miglia and countless boarding schools and public canteens, as well as winning medals, prizes, honors. In the 1940s, the Girotti figs were launched mainly through radio advertising and subsequently took part in exhibitions and competitions, including the Milan Fair. In short, a continuous rise.
I Fichi Girotti today
In 2004 the company was sold to the Cifoletti brothers: Gabriele and Maria Serena, who had just graduated in Conservation of Cultural Heritage, and was trying to understand what to do with her life and, perhaps, which cultural asset to preserve and enhance. And then: what better opportunity than the Fichi Girotti, with whom she had grown up, like all Amerini? But she, and her brother even more, as children of the owner of a well-known bar in Amelia who, like many others, had always sold them. Thus, they took courage and for 15 years they have been carrying on the Girotti tradition, just like the original owners: "We did it for the love of this product, which we could not risk getting lost". Even today they are the only ones to produce them all year round for marketing, even if there are still those, especially in the countryside, if they produce them at home with a small artisan press, demonstrating how strong the amerino's bond with his fig girotto. All the more so in the autumn, winter and Christmas period, when there are no doubts about which gift to give as a good omen.
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