Encyclopaedia Treccani defines merenda sinoira as ‘an afternoon meal that, due to the abundance of food and its lengthy duration, can replace dinner’. A cold meal that is eaten in the afternoon, usually around 4 or 5 p.m., and goes on until dinnertime.
A forerunner of the aperitif or evening drink? Not really, merenda sinoira is a legacy of our tradition that tells so much about our Monferrato.
The origins of merenda sinoira
If ‘merenda’ derives from the Latin ‘merere’, meaning to earn, ‘sinoira’ comes from the expression ‘sin-a’, which in Piedmontese dialect means dinner. The union of the two words therefore evokes a well-earned meal that takes you through dinner.
The origin dates back to the peasant tradition of the mid-19th century, when farmers and wine-growers would take a cloth with bread, cheese, a sausage and a glass of red wine to the fields and vineyards to break up the long working day and take a reinvigorating break.
Traditionally, this meal was eaten on the longest days, from mid-March to the end of September (which, in the Catholic calendar that marked the year, corresponded to the period from St Joseph’s Day to St Michael’s Day), precisely to gather the strength needed to face the days that began well before dawn and ended just before dinner.
Merenda sinoira was served among the vines or in the farmyards, at the end of labours that involved entire communities. At one time, in fact, when important work was being carried out, such as repairing roads or canals, threshing or the grape harvest, friends, relatives and neighbours would be summoned to help with the work, and they would be thanked for their helpfulness with an informal feast that always included cheese, bread, charcuterie, but also pickled and oiled vegetables and seasonal fruit.
The wine? Strictly Barbera, everyone’s wine.
Merenda sinoira today
The wine was harvested from the neighbour’s vineyards, the bread was homemade, the cheese was from the dairy farmer who had pastures on the neighbouring hillside, and the vegetables were those from the summer gardens that were preserved in oil and vinegar.
Nowadays we talk about organic, zero km, local products and fortunately, in recent years, the offer has been expanded, adding value to products that were once taken for granted. Because these foods tell of the labours of our hills, the flavours of the summer sun, the smells of the damp morning earth and the moods of the people who here are still following the rhythm of the seasons.
That is why we do not like to call it just an ‘aperitif’ or ‘an evening drink’: merenda sinoira is our tradition, merenda sinoira is us.
The perfect pairing
No overly elaborate appetisers, finger food or industrial crisps, but rather grilled courgettes in carpione (if you don’t know what they are, you’re missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures), Piedmontese giardiniera, pickled anchovies served with mountain butter, toma cheese served with honey and onion jam or Piedmontese cugnà mustard made with grape must, coleslaw, pumpkin flowers and omelette with wild herbs.
Merenda sinoira is connected to local products, so we recommend choosing traditional products, perhaps buying from small local producers.
What should you drink? Strictly a glass (or two) of Barbera, Spritz is forbidden!
We recommend a fresh, preferably wood-free Barbera such as our Le Tane Piemonte DOC Barbera, La Leggenda Barbera d’Asti DOCG or a sparkling Barbera such as La Briccona Barbera DOC or Rive Rosse Barbera DOC.
So take a pergola of a farmhouse in Monferrato, a table in the shade of an olive tree in the hills or a snug dining room for rainy days and go hunting for pairings.
An idea for a truly unique merenda sinoira? Come to enjoy it under one of the nests in Vinchio Vaglio, you can purchase Barbera directly from us and enjoy the spectacle of the Monferrato and Val Sarmassa vineyards!
