The Onion of Certaldo is a Traditional Agricultural Product (PAT) present in the national list approved by the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Forestry, the requirements of which are regulated by the production discipline of the Tuscany Region.

Features

Certaldo onion is a local selection of red onion with a sweet and particular taste.
Round in shape with characteristic crushing at the poles, it has a red-purple color with inner tunics of reddish-white color and medium-coarse piece.

Two qualities are known: the “statin”, ready for fresh consumption in May (spring onions) and ripe in summer, and the “vernina”, with autumn seeding and harvested at the end of summer.

It is therefore used both as a fresh consumer onion (“statin” – spring onions collected in May-June), and as a Serbian onion with dried outer tunics.

Cultivation

The cultivation of The Certaldo onion takes place in medium dough soils that tend to be loose, French-sandy or Franco-clay, with clay content no more than 30%, well drained, with aflasis at no less than one meter deep.

Certaldo’s onion is traditionally sown in seedlum, then transplanted with rowing.
The “statin” is sow in July-August, is transplanted in October-November, ready for fresh consumption in May (spring onions) and matures in July-August; the “vernina” is sown in November-January, it transplants in March-April and is ready for harvest in August-September.

The figure of the onion already appears in the ancient coat of arms of Certaldo of the 12th century, when the country was fiefdom of Alberti an account.
The onion stood on the white field of the two-party shield with the motto “By nature I am strong and sweet again/ and I like who is and who works”.
This was probably inspired by the widespread cultivation of onions in the territory and the strong and sweet spirit at the same time of the certainldesi.

In 1633, the priors who ruled the country, deeming perhaps the coat of arms unnoble, decided to replace it with a more traditional shield with rampant lion.
In 1867, with an act of the City Council, it was decided to return to the original coat of arms.