Lentil of Capracotta

Capracotta lentils are grown in Capracotta (IS) at an altitude of over 1,400 metres in an environment that is still uncontaminated and respects the centuries-old local tradition.

The Miccole (this is how the lentils are called in the local dialect) to grow are satisfied with a poor and stony soil but above all uncontaminated, typical of the Capracotta mountains.

The cultivation techniques for Capracotta lentils are strictly natural, based on crop rotation and the use of native seeds, now almost extinct, recovered and selected with great care and dedication.

Only the hand of man and the intervention of nature make it possible to obtain a guaranteed natural product of high nutritional quality.

The cultivation is very old: in the past, in fact, these small and precious legumes were cultivated by every family in the area and represented, for their protein content, one of the main foods for sustenance in the high mountains.

These parameters alone, combined with the high altitude of the production area, give them an extraordinary and unmistakable flavour, making them unique from an organoleptic and nutritional point of view and therefore highly sought after.

There are two endemic varieties cultivated.

This cultivar we are proposing has a marked polychromy ranging from black-dark brown, orange to brick red and a well-developed and robust tegumental structure.

The seed size is very small (27 g per 1,000 seeds) and the flavour is excellent.

RECIPE

Boil the Capracotta lentils in water with a clove of poached garlic, a bay leaf and salt.

After cooking, serve with bread croutons and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

CURIOSITY

It is possible to visit the garden of the Apennine flora in Capracotta. In July and August it is open every day.