Pappaluni
Light green, brownish, yellow ochre and scattered with reddish specks, or big and white: they are pappaluni, that is the beans of Aspromonte, cultivated in the upper-medium strips of the massif within the Park. Here, the microclimate, the soils, and waters are ideal for the production of legumes. It is not by chance they play a leading role in the local gastronomy. They are sowed at the end of April and are harvested in October. There are two varieties of pappaluni: the White bean is a variation of the Spanish White Bean but it is bigger and has a softer hull (sometimes it also reaches the 3,7cm of length). It is ideal for the preparation of side dishes and soups, combined with other vegetables. The Colored bean has changing colors and is smaller than the White Bean, it is tasty and soft, ideal in soups. Together with broccoli, potato cubes, pieces of pork rind and meat, with some fresh pepper and a spoonful of extra-virgin olive oil, it is the essential ingredient of the "pasta e fagioli", a characteristic dish of Aspromonte.
