The nocino, also called "nocillus" in Neapolitan dialect, is a liqueur with a strong flavor, based on unripe nuts and herbs aromatics. The preparation process involves the fruits of walnut, still ripe and green, are infused in thealcohol pure with sugar and spices various, such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, lemon peel and, depending on taste, also grains by coffee.

The infusion is then matured at the sunshine or in a place hot for about 40 to 60 days. It is then filtered several times and some of thewater pure depending on the alcohol content you want to achieve. The original Modena recipe actually does not call for water since already the juice of the malli and the sugar dilute the alcohol bringing it to about 33° (a bit high!). Nocino can also be stored for years (it improves over time) but it should be kept in a place away from heat sources.

Origins and historical trivia

The tradition tells that walnuts are historically harvested in the night between the 23 and the June 24, day of the Saint John the Baptist: According to ancient peasant beliefs, during this magical night the plants reach the peak of their vitality and, almost with a biblical reference to the water of the baptism of St. John's, even the droplets of dew that form at dawn on the fruit feed its healing properties; in fact, nocino also boasts the ability to relieve the digestive and gastro-intestinal difficulties, especially after a nice big meal.

There are several pagan legends linked to the birth of this intensely flavored liqueur, some even of the nature esoteric. In fact, walnut has always been considered thetree of witches, of rites and spells, thanks to the fruits of which a magical concoction was prepared that would ward off the evils that plagued the rural populations of yesteryear. It is no coincidence that nocino is also a typical Campanian product since it is precisely Benevento the cradle in which the rites were born longobardi for the god Odin that took place around the walnut trees, and the favorite was the one near the Saturday River.

Also underlying the popular beliefs is the influence of the Celtic rites: at the dawn of the summer solstice, the night when light triumphs over darkness, it is said that the walnut harvest is carried out by a virgin barefoot, or by the woman most experienced in the preparation of this liquor, who climbs the tree and grabs the unripe fruits with her bare hands, leaving them overnight under the dew.

Le historical origins, on the other hand, date back to the invasion of the Britannia, when the Romans they knew a people curious, which they called Picti, because of the strange custom they had of painting and tattooing their faces and bodies. The latter, during the rituals they used to perform during the summer solstice, drank precisely a infused made of walnuts, honey and fruit fermented, which also made them particularly cheerful.

The birth of the municipality by Noceto at Emilia Romagna, in fact, can be attributed precisely to the Romans who named this area Noxetum for the massive presence of woods of walnuts scattered throughout the territory. It is for generations that secret recipes have been handed down, particularly that of the Cotti family, which has been following this culinary tradition for 400 years. The brand "Nocino di Noceto" is now regularly registered among the traditional products of Emilia Romagna since 2000.

Still others credit the spread of liquor in the Modenese at french friars, who drank a "liqueur de brou de noix," i.e., a ratafià by hull (outer casing of the fruit), with the fruits they collected around the convent.

The Neapolitan recipe

Nocino is also highly valued in Campania, where it is called nocillo. Among the region's most prized walnuts are certainly those from Sorrento. The authentic Sorrentine nocillo involves the recurrent presence of the Numbers 13 and 3: 13 walnuts, 13 roasted coffee beans, 3 cloves, 3 grams of cinnamon and 1 nutmeg. All of course infused in 1 liter of pure alcohol.

To prepare the famous liqueur at home, follow the Neapolitan recipe (you can prepare it in June to enjoy it in Christmas).

Ingredients

  • 23 unripe walnuts

  • 1 liter of 95° alcohol

  • 7 cloves

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 1 nutmeg

  • 500 g sugar

  • 1 glass of water

Preparation

  1. First you need to clean the walnuts, cut them into four and put them in a glass jar.

  2. Combine the walnuts with 1 liter of alcohol, 7 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 nutmeg. Leave to Macerate it for 40 days, remembering to shake the container once a week.

  3. After 40 days prepare syrup with 500 grams of sugar and one cup of water (about 150 ml). Heat them over the fire without bringing to a boil. Let the syrup cool and combine it with the previously strained nocino.

  4. Mix well, pour into dark bottles, close and let rest in a dark place until Christmas. Only then can Neapolitan nocino be tasted.