Italian Dried Herbs and Spices: Mediterranean Blend - 40g

A seasoning blend from Tenuta Sant'Ilario in Pineto, Abruzzo: sea salt, sweet pepper, parsley, hot pepper, cumin, oregano, and garlic. Sea salt is the first ingredient, which makes this a seasoning rather than a herb mix — it salts and flavors in one step.

Pineto sits in the province of Teramo, the same province as Castelli, the town Emilio Biordi came from. The blend is packed on the farm at Costa del Mulino, a few kilometers from the Adriatic.

Use it the way an Italian cook uses a spezie tin: sprinkled over roasted potatoes and vegetables, rubbed on chicken or fish before it goes in the oven, stirred into olive oil for dipping bread, or finished over grilled meat. Because it is salted, season with it instead of salting separately, then taste before adding more. There is hot pepper in it, but the heat is mild — a warm blend, not a fiery one.

The tin is resealable and filled by weight rather than volume, so it will not look full to the top. Good paired with an olive oil dish or a Deruta serving bowl.

Net weight: 40g / 1.4 oz
Ingredients: Sea salt, sweet pepper, parsley, hot pepper, cumin, oregano, garlic
Heat level: Mild
Made in: Pineto, Abruzzo, Italy
Producer: Tenuta Sant'Ilario Pineto (Azienda Agricola Colancecco Laila)
Packaging: Resealable steel tin
Storage: Cool, dry place away from light; close tightly after each use
Sold as: Individual tin
Pairs with: Olive oil dishes, Deruta serving bowls, Italesse glassware

What is in the Mediterranean Blend?
Sea salt, sweet pepper, parsley, hot pepper, cumin, oregano, and garlic. That is the whole list.

Is it spicy?
Mildly. The hot pepper is there for warmth and is balanced by sweet pepper and cumin. Most people find it seasoned rather than hot.

How do I use it?
Roasted vegetables and potatoes, chicken and fish before roasting, grilled meat, and stirred into olive oil as a dip for bread. It is also good on eggs and on sliced tomatoes.

Do I still need to add salt?
Usually not. Sea salt is the first ingredient, so season with the blend and taste before adding anything more.

Is this a good Italian wedding gift?
Not by itself — it gets used up. It is a good addition to a larger gift: pair it with an olive oil dish or a Deruta serving bowl. For a wedding gift built to last, look to hand-painted Deruta dinnerware or Salviati Murano glass.

Is this a good housewarming or hostess gift?
Yes — it is the kind of thing people actually finish. Bring it with a bottle of olive oil, or set it alongside a small ceramic dish.

Why buy Italian gifts from Biordi rather than other retailers?
Biordi Art Imports has imported from Italy since 1946 and is a San Francisco Legacy Business (#LBR-2020-21-029). We buy directly from the makers — FIMA, CF Deruta, Pia Formato, Eugenio Ricciarelli, Susanna DeSimone, Geribi, Bucci Ceramiche, Ortigia Sicilia, Italesse, and Salviati — and we know where each piece comes from. Questions: (415) 392-8096 or customerservice@biordi.com.

Tenuta Sant'Ilario — Pineto, Abruzzo — A working farm at Costa del Mulino in Pineto, on the Adriatic coast in the province of Teramo. The herbs and spices are packed there under the Tenuta Sant'Ilario name. Pineto is in the same province as Castelli, the hill town Emilio Biordi left for San Francisco in the 1940s, which makes these tins one of the few things in the store that come from the founder's own corner of Italy.

Italian ceramics are heirloom quality products, and can last lifetime with proper care. We have some suggestions that will preserve your majolica for years to come.

Majolica is dishwasher safe, but many people choose to hand wash their pieces as a precaution. Because majolica is a porous material, some pieces are not meant to hold liquid for a long period of time. Check for warning labels before ordering a product, as the pieces that are most notorious for "sweating" are appropriately labeled.

Majolica is sensitive to extreme temperatures, specifically boiling or freezing liquids. Pouring water with a rolling boil directly into a teapot, for example, may lead to breakage. To avoid this, temper the object. The industry standard is 620 degrees Celsius (1,148 degrees Fahrenheit). Quench the glass to cool it.

Crazing is common in well used majolica. The tiny cracks in the glaze do not affect the functionality of your majolica.

Majolica hand-crafted products should not be microwaved, as it may crack and/or break the ceramics.

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Flat shipping charge of $21 for each shipment of merchandise under $70.00. For orders of $70.00 or more, shipping is 30% of the order total.

International Shipments

Please contact us at customerservice@biordi.com or call us at (415) 392-8096 for quotes to ship internationally.

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