White Poverello Bean

The white poverello bean has been grown since ancient times on the irrigated lands of some of the mountain villages in western Calabria, in the Pollino National Park. It has large, ovoid seeds and a thin, white, shiny, skin without speckles. It is easy to cook and has a delicate mouth feel, it must be soaked for at least 45 minutes.
Traditionally it is sown in “postarelle” (equally distanced rows) by the first half of June. It is a climbing bean: the seedlings cling to chestnut stakes obtained from the nearby coppice woods. The plants must be irrigated, and weeds must be controlled by hand or, in some cases, by using mechanical means, whereas any kind of chemical weeding is prohibited. The soils can only be enriched through the use of mature manure. They are harvested by hand between October and early November, when the well-dried pods settle on the “cannizzi”, where they are left to dry for a few more days. At this point they are placed in bags, to be beaten, and then they are shelled by hand and cleaned from any foreign objects (pebbles, soil particles, leaves).
The poverello bean is a central element of the agricultural and gastronomic culture of this area. It is an ingredient that can be used in various recipes (purees, soups, croutons, salads), but the most symbolic dish is a particular pasta that is prepared with tubetti (short and smooth pasta), beans, extra virgin olive oil (the ideal oil is obtained from the sweet Rossano cultivar, which is part of the Slow Food Presidium), powdered crunchy red capsicums (the zafarana) and hot chillies. The best way to cook the poverello bean is over a very slow fire in the clay pot.

Season

They are harvested between October and the beginning of November, the dried product is available all year round