Pêssego Maracotão

Description: Round fruit of the species Prunus persica, weighing 80 to 100 g, yellow in color, hard and compact pulp, adherent to the stone and slightly hairy skin. There are two varieties of Maracotão Peach: the white, whose maturation occurs between August and September, and the yellow, which matures later, between the end of September and October.

Region: Lisbon and Tagus Valley.

Special feature: Yellow peach, with very hard flesh and adherent stone.

History: This fruit has existed in the region for more than 100 years, and its provenance is not known. Joaquim Rasteiro estimated the existence, in 1931, of 1,379,430 peach trees, distributed mostly in Estremadura and the Beiras. This peach is commonly known as the 'harvest peach' because it ripens at harvest time.

Use: Peach is consumed raw, and is also used in the manufacture of jams. It is one of the components of the traditional sweet called «arroubo», «arroube» or «uvada».

Know-how: It is traditionally cultivated by direct sowing in the middle of the vineyard, at intervals, serving as a umbrella when working in the field. The compass used is about 5 to 6 m, with light pruning and treatments rare. It is a rainfed fruit.

Source: Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses, Lisboa, DGDR, 2001