Sorbo (The Tree) and Gorniolo (The Fruit)

A thorny little tree, growing in the limestone maquis and favoured by shepherds. Its rather acid little fruit is made edible by macerating it in wine vinegar and sugar. Until recently in the Salento these fruits were prepared by greengrocers and sold in their shops in autumn. According to Robert Graves, The White Goddess, this is the ‘apple’ of the Thracian Orphic cult.