One of the possibilities of generating jobs in marginal areas is that of offer agricultural products that are sought after by the market for their organoleptic or health characteristics. The example of sugared bean of Acquaviva d’Isernia is an example. Acquaviva d’Isernia is a village in theMolise Apennines of less than 400 inhabitants which is 20 kilometers from Isernia. It is grown at altitudes ranging between 500 and 750 meters on particularly fertile soils that favor the development of starch in the seed and reduce the thickness of the integument. But, they say in Acquaviva, the secret of the bean's qualities lie in the water of the Rio stream, which is necessary for the irrigation of the plants. The bean possesses the shape of a large pearl, the opalescent color determined its name sugared almond and it is the result of the selection made by local farmers over the centuries.

The best time to get to know him is between the end of September and the middle of October, when the pods are harvested, in the hands of a few sensitive hobbyists. In this period the plants reach the right degree of drying. There collection it is manual and is completed with drying and the ginning pods. Follows the selection and the calibration beans with large mesh sieves. The harvest is constantly decreasing and is estimated at a few quintals per year.

Yet the sugared bean is selling like hot cakes
The extreme ease of cooking, the creaminess and the delicacy of the flavor make it a highly sought after product. In Acquaviva a well-known football team is said to have optioned a large amount of beans to serve to their champions for the digestibility and ready assimilation of proteins and carbohydrates. An equally well-known restaurant in Abruzzo grabs everything that is possible to prepare starred dishes. After all, attempts to reproduce the growth of the sugared bean outside the Acquaviva d’Isernia territory have been desolately wrecked. The traditional dishes that are prepared with sugared beans are pork rinds and beans, cazzaniegl andagiuol (pasta dumplings with beans) e sagn andagiuol (rustic noodles topped with beans and their puree). But these pearls of goodness that slip into the mouth leaving their imprint of cream that tastes of the earth, sky and water of Acquaviva d’Isernia are also combined with fish. Who knows if someone does not start a wider cultivation to satisfy at least part of the growing demand …

September 2021
Riccardo Lagorio