Cicerchie in Zuppa con Pecorino e Peperoncino

Abruzzo

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Origin

Abruzzo — Apennine mountains, L'Aquila province, Slow Food Presidio

Description

Cicerchie (grasspea or chickling vetch — Lathyrus sativus) in a thick soup from Abruzzo's mountain areas — a pulse that was historically a survival food during famines and today is celebrated as a Slow Food Presidio. Cicerchie resemble small, irregular chickpeas with a distinctive nutty, slightly bitter flavour that is unlike any other legume. They are soaked for 24 hours, then cooked slowly with garlic, rosemary, and bay, and finished with olive oil, crumbled aged Pecorino Abruzzese, and dried peperoncino. Their cooking liquid becomes thick and rich from the cicerchie's unique starch.

III

The Thread

—Lathyrus sativus is a staple legume in parts of India — the same cicerchie under a different name; the Indian tradition of cooking it as a dal (lentil-style preparation) is the subcontinent expression of the Abruzzese tradition Indian

—Grasspea in a spiced stew is an Ethiopian staple — the cicerchie stew tradition in Abruzzo parallels the Ethiopian use of the same legume as a survival food Ethiopian

—Lathyrus sativus is also eaten in La Mancha under the name almortas — the Spanish potage tradition with this legume directly parallels the Abruzzese cicerchie soup Spanish

Flavour Context

Nutty, slightly bitter, with a mineral quality unlike any other legume; the Pecorino's salt and sharpness balance the cicerchie's earthiness; peperoncino adds heat; olive oil provides the fatty richness; this soup tastes of survival and celebration simultaneously

Pillars V — VII

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