The end of Tuscan summer packs a peachy-keen punch this year: in the lead up to the Festa della Pesca Regina (Queen Peach festival) in Londa (FI), held September 9 to 11, event organizers have launched the related contest Pesca & Friends.
Peaches, the quintessential summer fruit, have been easy to find across Tuscany since 1500, when the Medici brought them in to regional villas. Open to novice cooks and non-professional food bloggers, the Pesca & Friends contest aims to demonstrate how peaches can make the perfect base for all sorts of gourmet dishes—not just desserts.
Participants will submit a peach-based recipe and must indicate a specific variety of peach to be used. To compete, they will carry out the recipe and present the finished product before a judges panel made up of distinguished journalists, academics and mayor of Londa Aleandro Murras.
Recipes for finger foods, appetizers, first and second courses and desserts are all eligible, and must exclusively use Italian-grown peaches. Judges will evaluate the quality and accuracy of the dish preparation description, along with presentation, originality and, of course, taste.
Recipes—accompanied by at least one photo—must be submitted to pescalonda@gmail.com by midnight on September 5. Multiple submissions are allowed. Food bloggers must publish a post of their recipe accompanied by the official contest banner, sending the link to contest officials to the same email address.
The award ceremony will take place at 3.30pm on September 11, closing day of the Festa della Pesca Regina. The winner will receive a plaque and goods from sponsors and will be mentioned in all official post-festival press releases and communications.
