Fratte Rosa Fava Bean

In Fratte Rosa, a small village in the hills around Pesaro, the locals claim that the best fava beans are those grown in the white-clay-rich soils known as i lubachi, typical of the area and also used to make traditional earthenware known as cocci.
The village has been known since Roman times for its production of terracotta and the cultivation of fava beans. Over the centuries, the local growers have selected an ecotype with a short pod, containing an average of four seeds. The beans are large and round, with a mild flavor and a tender texture even when fully ripe.
The Fratte Rosa fava beans are sown in October. The plant reaches a height of around 80 centimeters and the waxy seeds ripen in early May, then dry in June. The beans are usually cultivated in rotation with vegetables and grains, without the addition of nitrogen or potassium to the soil and without irrigation except in extreme cases. The Presidium producers have committed to using only mechanical methods, not chemical, to prevent the spread of weeds like broomrape.
For decades the fava beans were a staple for the local diet: fresh or dried, they were used in many home recipes. Ground and mixed with wheat flour, they were made into bread and pasta, and they also served as feed for livestock.
Tacconi pasta is still made in Fratte Rosa from a dough containing between 30% and 50% fava flour. The name probably comes from the pasta shape’s similarity to the strips of leather left over after trimming the soles of shoes with heels (tacchi). Once the dough has reached the right level of elasticity, it is rolled out, rolled up and cut into thin strips. Traditionally the tacconi are served with a mushroom sauce. The fava beans are also eaten in baggiana, a soup of leafy vegetables (chard, chicory, monk’s beard) to which the dried beans are added after having been boiled and peeled. They are also the main ingredient in the ancient Marche recipe fave in porchetta, made with fresh fava beans, wild fennel and pancetta.

Season

The fava beans are harvested fresh in the first 10 days of May. They are available dry from June and can be found year round.