What it is
A very sweet, low-pungency onion from Vatolla/Perdifumo, large and straw-pink outside, valued for digestibility and delicate fragrance.
Origin place card
The source says the name derives from Vatolla, a frazione of Perdifumo, and that production coincides with Perdifumo and nearby communes.
Verified history
The source documents ongoing household horticulture and indications handed down from the past, but no early written attestation. Treat this as source-supported tradition/history from Regione Campania — Cipolla di Vatolla; the current evidence does not independently establish a founder, precise origin date, first attestation, or archival origin beyond that source framing.
Local hypothesis
This onion belongs in TIFA because it turns a normally aggressive ingredient into softness: no tears, little pungency, soup, frittata, fresh sweetness.
Local legend / oral tradition
No legend documented; local tradition is family horticulture and self-consumption.
Ingredients
Large onions, straw/pink outer skins, whitish bulb with pink shades; used in salads, frittatas and a delicate traditional soup. Source-supported detail: La particolare dolcezza di questa cipolla la rende "unica".
Method
Plant in autumn/winter in friable sunny soils; ready April-May; sold in bunches and consumed fresh due to short 2–3 month conservation. Source-supported detail: Descrizione del prodotto : Forma: a trottola o affusolata Colore: tuniche esterne paglierino/rosa; colore interno del bulbo tagliato: biancastro con sfumature rosate.
Ritual / calendar
Il territorio di produzione coincide con quello di Perdifumo e dei comuni viciniori.
Why travel for it
Vatolla gives TIFA a quiet miracle: an onion you want to eat raw and a village whose name tastes sweet.
Recreate-it pathway
Recover soup and frittata variants from local families; do not invent quantities.
Editorial warning
Keep the short-conservation/fresh-use identity visible; this is not a generic storage onion.
Fieldwork questions
How is the traditional soup made? Which Perdifumo/Vatolla families still grow it for self-consumption?
Photo brief
Bunches of pinkish onions, Vatolla village, fresh salad/frittata/soup settings.