Curly Torzella

Kale is one of the oldest brassicas in the world, originating over 4,000 years ago in the eastern Mediterranean basin. Exchanges with southern Italy were very common at the time, and so it was that this dark leafy green, initially known as cavolo greco ("Greek cabbage") arrived in the Acerrano-Nolano area around Vesuvius, which quickly became one of the most important zones of production for the crop. Fields of torzella, as it came to be called, as well as cabbages and broccoli, stretched endlessly along the water-rich rice paddies that extended from the Principality of Salerno almost as far as Sibari. These fertile plains were what the Romans called Campania felix ("happy countryside"), a land abounding in culture and traditions, with a mild climate and volcanic soil, rich in minerals and trace elements and irrigated by several rivers.
Torzella riccia, or curly kale, is a member of the Brassicaceae family. A herbaceous plant with an autumn-winter growing cycle, it reaches an average height of around 100 centimeters and a diameter of around 70 centimeters. The sturdy stalk sends off numerous axillary shoots that produce curly dark-green leaves, while the flowers are bright yellow. The plants are sown in the second half of July in nurseries or seedbeds, then transplanted into the fields in the second half of August. The seedlings are spaced around 40 to 60 centimeters apart to ensure healthy development. Curly kale is perfectly suited to the Vesuvian environment: The soil conditions provide the plant with everything it needs to flourish and it requires little other care, apart from some sporadic irrigation in cases of prolonged drought. Once the plant is well developed, the central shoot is removed to ensure the abundant growth of the smaller, secondary shoots. This cultivation practice is very important to obtain the tenderest, most flavorful leaves, which begin to sprout in around November. The leaves are harvested by hand in stages until March.
Kale has long been the perfect food for the countrypeople of Acerrano-Nolano during the winter months, nutritious and low in fat, a rich source of vitamin C, folic acid, fiber and potassium. Kale leaves are eaten raw in salads, or cooked in the flavorful soups of rural Neapolitan tradition, like minestra maritata ("wedding soup"). The kale is also paired with seafood or preserved for eating through the summer, when it is often cooked briefly together with San Marzano tomatoes.
Kale preserved in oil used to be prepared only for home consumption, but now the product is sold both fresh and jarred in oil or as a spread for eating straight or saucing pasta.

Season

The harvest begins in the second half of November and can continue until as late as the first 10 days of April.