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APULICA / FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND PULSES

Black chickpea of the karst Murgia

PAT · Slow Food Presidium · Fruit, vegetables and pulses · Puglia

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In brief

History and origin

The Murgia is the karst plateau in the middle of Puglia; its part in the province of Bari, south-east of the city, is known locally as the Murgia carsica. On this stony, water-poor land farmers grew vineyards, almond orchards and olive groves for trade, but alongside them they sowed pulses and onions for their own table and for local markets: chickpeas and lentils above all, and among the chickpeas a small, wrinkled, jet-black one.

A historical trace of its cultivation appears in a nineteenth-century text on the palatine church of Acquaviva delle Fonti, which mentions the consumption of the black chickpea and the suitability of the town's land for this pulse. Tradition also says that, because of its high iron content, it was once recommended to pregnant women.

With the decline of marginal crops the black chickpea came close to disappearing. In recent years a group of farmers has brought it back into cultivation using organic methods, and it is now a Slow Food Presidium; since 2013 it has also been on the national list of traditional food products.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Cece nero della Murgia carsica · Atlante dei PAT di Puglia (Regione Puglia, Università di Bari) — Cece nero

Area and method of production

The production area covers Acquaviva delle Fonti, Cassano delle Murge, Santeramo in Colle and the neighbouring municipalities in the province of Bari. The black chickpea is a hardy local variety that withstands pests and drought well and needs no particular care beyond hoeing and earthing up the young plants.

In Acquaviva sowing is traditionally done in January, by hand, on well-worked soil: two or three seeds per hole, in furrows about six centimetres deep and some thirty centimetres apart. During the season the soil is hoed to keep weeds in check until the plants cover the ground.

Between June and July, when the plants are completely dry but before the pods split, they are pulled up by hand, tied into sheaves and taken under cover. Once dry, they are beaten with poles on the threshing floor over sheets to free the seeds; the grain is then sieved by hand, on windy days, to separate out impurities. The harvest is completed in August and the dried pulse is available all year round.

Sources: Atlante dei PAT di Puglia (Regione Puglia, Università di Bari) — Cece nero · Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Cece nero della Murgia carsica

How to recognise it

The black chickpea of the Murgia carsica differs from the common chickpea in shape and colour. It is much smaller, shaped rather like a grain of maize, with a wrinkled, irregular skin and a hooked tip. The seed coat is black, while the inside is whitish-yellow. The plant is bushy with violet flowers, and each pod usually holds one or two seeds.

Nutritionally it stands out for its abundant fibre, about three times that of an ordinary chickpea, and for its iron content. The thick skin has a downside, though: it needs about twelve hours of soaking and nearly two hours of cooking, which is why the black chickpea never had a large market.

The flavour repays the wait: it is faintly herbaceous and naturally savoury, so much so that it can be enjoyed with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil even without salt. In shops it is usually sold vacuum-packed, already cleaned and graded.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Cece nero della Murgia carsica · Atlante dei PAT di Puglia (Regione Puglia, Università di Bari) — Cece nero

In the kitchen

Before cooking, the black chickpea should be soaked for about twelve hours; the slow cooking then takes around two hours. The result is a firm pulse that holds its shape well and has a full flavour.

Local cooking uses it mainly in two ways. The first is soup, enriched with a generous base of fried onions: a natural pairing in an area where farmers have always grown onions alongside pulses. The second is a pasta dish with tagliolini, tomato and a drizzle of oil. Thanks to its natural savouriness, the black chickpea can also be served simply boiled and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, with no need for salt.

As a dried pulse that keeps for a long time, it is also a practical souvenir to take home and cook at leisure, following the long times its skin requires.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Cece nero della Murgia carsica · Atlante dei PAT di Puglia (Regione Puglia, Università di Bari) — Cece nero

Where to taste it

The black chickpea is to be found in the towns of the Murgia carsica south-east of Bari: Acquaviva delle Fonti, Cassano delle Murge and Santeramo in Colle, together with the neighbouring municipalities. It is a landscape of limestone, dry-stone walls and open fields, where olive groves, almond orchards and small plots of pulses alternate, and where a visit pairs well with other local products such as the red onion of Acquaviva.

The harvest ends in August, but as a dried pulse the black chickpea is available all year: it is sold in traditional and specialist shops in vacuum packs, while larger sacks are used for the trade. The Presidium's growers are grouped in an association based in Acquaviva, and the Presidium is supported by the Bari Chamber of Commerce.

For visitors, the easiest way to taste it is to look for it on menus of local cooking, in soup or with pasta, and then take a pack home to recreate the dish.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Presidio Cece nero della Murgia carsica · Atlante dei PAT di Puglia (Regione Puglia, Università di Bari) — Cece nero

Protection

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Where

Puglia