I Misultin or Missoltini are in fact agones and have always represented a traditional dish typical of our Larian cuisine. As with all dishes that were once considered ‘poor’ because they were cooked by peasants, fishermen, simple people who lived on what they could produce, today the Misultit have instead become a real Larian delicacy.
It is said that the most prized Misultin are those caught near the rocky bottoms where they usually lay their eggs and that the ideal month for fishing was May (today it is no longer possible due to fishing limits) although the fishing of the agone has always been regulated by tradition and takes place mainly in June and July. For this reason in the summer period there are numerous festivals and fairs in many villages overlooking our Lario.
How does the “Agone” become a typical Misultin of Lake Como?
Today this fish from Lake Como is a true gastronomic specialty also because to become a true Misultin, the shad must go through a strict procedure: the entrails are removed, rubbed with salt and turned there every 12 hours for two days. At the end of this procedure they are rinsed, skewered with string and exposed to drying in the open air. After a few days the Misultin are placed with bay leaves in a container (originally made of wood, today made of tin) with wooden lids that are stacked. In this way the pressure of the stacked containers and the wood allows transpiration and the escape of excess oil.