On the packaging of our specialties stands the symbol of Contadinella: discover how it was born and what it represents for Ghiotto Galfrè

"If the Contadinella is there, it is Ghiotto Galfrè", says the motto of our advertising. And even today it is so: only the specialties signed Ghiotto Galfrè can show on the package the symbol of the Contadinella intent to collect by hand the precious porcini mushrooms. Do you know how this symbol was born?

Ghiotto Galfrè’s homage to the history of the territory

The Contadinella collects a magnificent porcini, and puts it together with the others in a straw basket. Behind it, the Monviso traces with its unmistakable lines a common panorama for those who, like us, live in Cuneo. The sky is clear and the lawn is large as far as the eye can see. Who is the Contadinella? The Contadinella is all the women of our land, those who many years ago in first person carried out the manual harvest of mushrooms during the season. They were in fact to choose the best specimens, take them home, clean them gently and then prepare them for immediate consumption, or for storage. La Contadinella is just a tribute to all the women who helped to bring into our kitchen the great aromatic richness and versatility of mushrooms. Strange to say, today: the going for mushrooms seems to become a male prerogative, a pastime, a hobby like many others. And yet that was the way it used to be. The Piedmontese peasants ventured through meadows in the shade of leafy woods, in search of the best mushrooms. In the years of good harvests, they prepared them for conservation: the most common method was to place them in oil, or to dry them in the sun. Both methods guaranteed to be able to consume them long after harvesting, while managing to preserve all those characteristics that we love so much of mushrooms.

Collection, cleaning, preparation: the secrets of the Contadinella

Our Contadinella is a true mushroom expert: just like the generations of women who inspired her. The methods used once for the collection are still today the result of useful tips for those who want to try this activity: For example, they were the first seekers to discover that the best way to explore the wooded areas in search of porcini mushrooms was to zigzag along the terrain to explore, or always proceed from the bottom up along the paths. Also about cleaning we could learn a lot from the experience of the women who inspired our Contadinella: for example, that porcini mushrooms should be cleaned exclusively with a knife with a smooth blade, gently scratching the surface to remove impurities and soil residues; never immersed in water, except to cook them or to bring them back to life when dried. The best cooking, the most delicious recipes have been developed by the inspirers of Contadinella: risotto, mushrooms, endless variations and preparations that make the eyes shine to all lovers of good food.

Ghiotto Galfrè: a real passion for porcini mushrooms

Just like the Contadinella in our logo, we at Ghiotto Galfrè have a real passion for mushrooms. We carefully select them, we have done so since the early years of our history. Cleaning is done by hand, just as Contadinella taught us: in the farm it is easy to meet with the eye the cleaning of the mushrooms, which with measured gestures and patients prepare the porcini mushrooms for our specialties. They are their expert hands and their attentive eyes to guarantee the quality to which Ghiotto Galfrè aims: a fundamental contribution to the success of the preserves that display the logo of the Contadinella.

A logo that is an act of love

Who is the Contadinella and what does it represent? The Contadinella Ghiotto Galfrè is the sign that distinguishes us: it is an act of love for those who helped make us what we are. It represents the strength, tenacity, determination of women: able to face every challenge with courage and skill, and then to draw from every fruit of the earth delicious goodness that resist the passage of time. They are our mothers, our grandmothers, our great-grandmothers: strong women who helped shape Piedmont as it is today. Fall in love with your land, ambassadors of the goodness it can give.

Today as yesterday, the Contadinella is all this!