Asparago di Cantello

White asparagus grown exclusively in the municipality of Cantello, Varese province, Italy. Shoots must be entirely white or with slightly pinkish tips, classified into Extra, Class I, and Class II grades by minimum diameter, and must not exceed 22 cm in length. Permitted cultivars include Precoce d'Argenteuil and its derived hybrids alongside named alternative varieties suited to white asparagus production.

About this designation

Asparago di Cantello is a white asparagus produced exclusively within the municipality of Cantello, Varese province, Italy. The designation is registered under file number PGI-IT-01267 and was granted EU protection on 17 October 2014. The amendment application PGI-IT-01267-AM01, dated 23 March 2021, expanded the list of permitted cultivars beyond Precoce d'Argenteuil and its derived hybrids to include Grolim, Zeno, Cumulus, Vitalim, Giove, Vittorio, Eros, Franco, Fruhlim, Magnus, Herkolim, and Terralim, provided each cultivar is suited to producing white asparagus meeting the specification's requirements. Shoots must be whole, fresh in appearance, free of deformities and bruises, entirely white or with slightly pinkish tips, and must not exceed 22 cm in length. Three UNECE quality classes apply: Extra requires a minimum diameter of 12 mm, Class I a minimum of 10 mm, and Class II a minimum of 8 mm. Weight tolerances within a pack are 5 % for Extra and 10 % for Class I and Class II. All cultivation, harvesting, packaging, and pre-packaging storage must take place within the identified geographical area. Asparagus for the end consumer must be packed in bundles of at least 0,5 kg. Each pack must display, in the same field of view, the name 'Asparago di Cantello I.G.P.', the EU PGI symbol, and the producer's name, business name, and address, together with the designated logo depicting two white asparagus spears arranged in a V shape above an image of the Madonna in Campagna church in Cantello. The applicant group is the Associazione per la Produzione dell'Asparago di Cantello e per il suo Riconoscimento IGP, based at Via Turconi, 6, Cantello.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 17 October 2014 under file number PGI-IT-01267; eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000015958.
• Shoots must not exceed 22 cm in length and are graded Extra (minimum 12 mm diameter), Class I (minimum 10 mm), or Class II (minimum 8 mm).
• Production is confined to the single municipality of Cantello, Varese province; no cultivation, harvesting, or packaging may occur outside this area.
• Historical records of asparagus cultivation in Cantello date to 1831, and the Cantello Asparagus Fair was established in 1939.

Tasting notes

Lombard asparagus from Cantello area (Varese province), traditional spring vegetable.

HoReCa use

Lombard spring dishes — risotto, frittata, antipasto.

Packaging

• crate-5kg
• retail-bunch-500g

Seasonality