The Natisone Valleys are located in the easternmost part of Friuli-Venezia e Giulia. From the city of Cividale they fan out in a northeastern direction toward the border with Slovenia. Overlooked by Mount Matajur (1641 m), which is their symbol, they preserve gastronomic traditions similar to those we find in Alpine mountainous areas. Living where the summers are short and mild and the winters long and cold implies knowing how to make the most of what is available; raising the animals best suited to life in the mountains, selecting and growing fruits and vegetables that can be processed and stored for several months.
The high ridges of the Natisone Valleys hold one exception, a pumpkin known as malon, which has been handed down through the centuries and is still cultivated today, despite its poor aptitude for preservation. It is a white-fleshed pumpkin with a cylindrical-round shape.
When it is still small, it looks like a large zucchini, but when fully developed it can reach a length of about 40-50 cm and a diameter of 30-40. The skin is smooth, at most slightly warty, and green and white in color, turning deep yellow, almost ochre, when ripe. In the best years a single plant can produce as many as 5 fruits.
In cooking, malon is used while still fresh, with white flesh and tender skin.It has a sweet flavor and is a pivotal ingredient in some traditional recipes, such as briza, or župa malonova, a soup made with malon, batuda (acidified whole cow's milk), beans and sometimes potatoes. Grated and stewed in a saucepan, it is often served as a side dish for meat dishes and is sometimes used in some variations of štakanje, a vegetable and potato-based stew seasoned in different variations depending on the season and location, or in risottos and omelets.
For more information:
https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/it/presidi-slow-food/malon/
