Topic: Cicerchia

[Rob08]

I spotted this on the HSL seed swap list. 

There is some useful info on the following site, though it is in Italian: http://www.cadnet.org/nostrolibro/2/teatro/spettacnatale/ricette/cicerc.htm

The best English language info available is courtesy of Amazon:

A cereal of humble origins, coltivated since Roman times, and a common presence on the poor peasant tables of our ancestors, cicerchia, whose climbing plant resembles the pea plant, was originally sown in the corn fields to fill in the empty spots and optimize the yield of the land. With the recent renaissance that cereals have enjoyed in our diets, Cicerchia has been rediscovered as a flavor from memory and brought back with its rich taste in rustic soups and salads........

To best enjoy Cicerchia, soak it in water overnight before cooking. Cook in abundant water (salt should be added at the end) for about one hour or until tender. Enjoy it simply with some good extra virgin olive oil, or add it to soups and salads.

Please note though that despite the description above, cicerchia is a legume, not a cereal/grain.  It looks to me to be closely related to the broad bean, but as I have never grown it I cannot compare the plant the seed comes from to that of a broad bean plant.

Now to my point.  I have a 500g bag of cicerchia sitting on my food shelf that I brought back from Le Marche last year.  That equates to several hundred seeds.  I am more than happy to share that out with anyone who wants to give the cultivation of this plant a go.   

Once again I will only be sending out seed after the 9th February once I have finished moving home/country, but if you are interested please PM me in the meantime.

Thanks.

[Amazin]

was originally sown in the corn fields to fill in the empty spots and optimize the yield of the land

I wonder, does that mean it was sown after the corn was harvesed (in which case it might make a good overwintering crop or even a green manure, as it's a legume), or was it sown to fill the bald patches in the cornfields?

[Rob08]

was originally sown in the corn fields to fill in the empty spots and optimize the yield of the land

I wonder, does that mean it was sown after the corn was harvesed (in which case it might make a good overwintering crop or even a green manure, as it's a legume), or was it sown to fill the bald patches in the cornfields?

I have no idea.  Sadly none of the people I know in Italy grow this, or even eat it, so drew a blank there.  I will ask a few of the older villagers next time I am over (April) and might have more info for you all then.

[morton]

The following is a Google translation off the net. Pity the important last sentance is not a clear translation.


The cicerchie 
   
La cicerchia è un legume ormai dimenticato, coltivato solamente in alcune zone dell'Italia centrale in quantità ridotta. The chickling vetch is a legume now forgotten, cultivated only in some areas of central reduced in quantity. È una pianta annuale, Lathyrus sativus, che assomiglia alla veccia e contiene nei suoi bacelli dei semi poco più grandi dei piselli ma più schiacciati. It is an annual plant, Lathyrus sativus, which resembles the vetch and contains the seeds of its bacelli little larger than peas but crushed.

Le cicerchie si trovano solo secche, e vanno sottoposte a un lungo ammollo prima di cuocerle. The cicerchie are only dry, and should be subjected to a long soak before you cook. L'acqua di ammollo va eliminata poiché contiene una sostanza che può dare problemi al sistema nervoso. The water soaking be eliminated because it contains a substance that can give problems to the nervous system.   

[Robert_Brenchley]

It's the Italian name for Lathyrus sativus, the chickling pea.

http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Lathyrus+sativus

[Rob08]

If it is a chickling pea then it is something you should eat in moderation.  Though that is not really a problem as the toxicity issues only become evident in countries where the chickling pea is a food staple.  As part of a normal western diet it should not pose any problems.

[Amazin]

When I saw the Latin name I realised I've got a pack of this as an ornamental for the garden. Got it from T&M in their sale last year. Here's another link:

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/vegetables/azure_blue_sweet_pea.htm