We find ourselves in a small village in the Marche region with late medieval origins, perched on a hill at about 400 meters above sea level, in the province of Pesaro Urbino, accompanied by Giovanna Baldelli.
Her name and origins are associated with the territory, rich in clay, namely the land of Lubachi.
A territory that has favored, over the centuries, the production of terracotta, or rather, of functional ceramics, so named because it is used for cooking, gathering, and preserving food.
The territory of Lubachi has allowed, since ancient times, the cultivation of a particular type of bean, the result of various crossings, characterized by exceptional sweetness and tenderness.
It has always been one of the main foods of the farmers of our area and was never missing from the tables, especially those of the poorer classes who, thanks to it, have satisfied their nutritional needs for generations.
Since the post-war period, changes in society and food consumption have reduced its production, which has been decreasing in favor of more economically profitable crops.
A prestigious project to enhance this typical product and promote the territory, thanks to a great team effort carried out by the Municipal Administration, the Favetta Association of Fratte Rosa, and the Pro Loco Fratte Rosa and Torre San Marco, took off with the signing of the agreement with Slow Food Italy and the Municipality of Fratte Rosa in 2019.
Slow Food presidiums support small traditional productions at risk of disappearing, enhance territories, recover ancient crafts and processing techniques, and safeguard indigenous breeds and varieties of vegetables and fruits from extinction.
The Fratte Rosa bean has become part of the slow food network of niche products to be safeguarded, thanks also to Assam (Agency for Services in the agri-food sector of the Marche) and Univpm (Polytechnic University of the Marche), which ensure the preservation of the seed in purity. Equally important is to ensure the continuity of production in the assigned geographical area, through the safeguarding by custodian farmers.
Currently, the Fratte Rosa broad bean is sought after and appreciated in local dining and beyond, in bakeries, restaurants, and establishments wherever there are special recipes that evoke tradition. The pairing in cooking in the “coccio” of Fratte Rosa is excellent.
From the peasant tradition, the broad beans are eaten fresh with pecorino cheese but also cooked in a pan with oil and herbs or “in porchetta,” with the addition of wild fennel. They are also excellent when transformed into puree.
The broad bean fritters, a dish that recalls peasant tradition.
Fava flour has always been used to prepare tacconi, a pasta that is now particularly rediscovered and appreciated. The name comes from the shape that traditionally resembled a large piece of shoe heel. Tacconi are characterized by being made from a mix of two flours: white wheat flour and fava flour. It is a product considered humble in the peasant cuisine of the past but is currently being revitalized.
Tradition has it that the farmers, having to share their harvest with the landowners and fearing they would run out of flour, often mixed it with other lower-quality flours, usually from legumes (broad beans, peas, lentils...).
The appearance of the tacconi is a cross between tagliatelle and tagliolini, and the dough is rolled out in a coarser manner than the classic dough, and they are really great when served with meat ragù or mushrooms.
