Every August since 1997, the ancient town of Voghiera, located in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, has been holding the Fiera dell’Aglio di Voghiera, the Voghiera Garlic Festival. During the first weekend of August, the city pays homage to its local garlic that has been harvested in the area since the Middle Ages. The especially large and white garlic has a particular taste that sets it apart from other cultivations in the country, and its deliciousness has not only earned it a festival but also the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), a coveted Italian label that refers to products exclusively produced in a specific geographic area.
The Voghiera Garlic Festival takes place during the first week of August to coincide with when the year’s crop is harvested. Held in the Castello del Belriguardo, a beautiful 15th-century villa once owned by the Estensi family who ruled the area during the Renaissance, the fair consists of three days of culinary garlic presentations. This includes local delicacies such as garlic bruschetta, garlic ravioli, grilled meats seasoned with garlic, and even garlic gelato. Artisans also arrange garlic bulbs in lavish and artistic bouquets to show off the year’s bounty. And yes, there are enough bundles of garlic that you can buy to last you the entire year, and then some.
The fair is also known as a sagra, a word used to describe the local food festivals held across the country. These sagre usually have a menu fisso, a fixed menu, that can be purchased for as little as €20. They include a starter, a first and second course, and a dessert. This year’s garlic festival’s menu will include the following:
Voghiera garlic has been cultivated in the area as early as the Middle Ages. Voghiera finds itself in the fertile lands of the Po Valley, an area that is particularly favorable to the cultivation of onion and garlic. But what makes Voghiera garlic special? Aside from its large size and blindingly white bulbs, it is known for its sweet and mild taste which is due to its naturally high enzyme, vitamins, and mineral salts content. In addition, it has a significant amount of antimicrobial activity towards fungal species which functions as a natural antibiotic for our immune systems. It was awarded the PDO in 2007, and Voghiera garlic products are all stamped with the designation as well as the manufacturer’s name, to ensure that it is authentic.
Asia London Palomba
Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.