Cicerchie in Zuppa con Pecorino e Peperoncino
Abruzzo — Apennine mountains, L'Aquila province, Slow Food Presidio
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.