Eight-row Corn of Roccacontrada
The eight-row corn (mais ottofile) of Roccacontrada is a local corn variety characteristic of the Marches and coming from the surroundings of Arcevia, used to prepare polenta.
Its name derives from the number of corn rows on the cob. When the American hybrid corn varieties were imported in Italy, this autochthonous variety was abandoned. The rediscovery of the eight-row corn of Roccacontrada was given to small farmers operating in the area (linked to the proximity of a watermill along river Misa belonging to a family from Arcevia, where flour is stone milled to enhance its organoleptic features). Not to lose this tradition, thanks to an initiative of the Municipality of Acervia and the Local Tourist Board, a local agricultural holding recovered a few years ago the cultivation of this corn variety producing an excellent flour to make polenta, a poor dish historically linked to our region.
