10 February: World Pulses Day

Alberta Piroci Branciaroli

UNEP (United Nations Environment Program, the UN Environment Agency) celebrates 10 February, World Pulses Day. This initiative responds to UNEP's strategies to promote sustainable, small-scale and subsistence agriculture, capable of producing protein-rich, meat-substituting foods and contributing to the achievement of some of the United Nations' sustainable development goals.

The choice of the UN is to direct the gaze of the world towards these precious seeds, hidden in the fruit-pod of leguminous plants and to sensitize the world - even the rich and carnivorous one - about their advantages. Loads of minerals such as iron and zinc, B vitamins, carbohydrates and above all proteins - they have double those found in wheat and three times those of rice - they are low in fat and gluten-free and form an important part of every diet balanced, anti-cholesterol and anti-obesity. Legumes are the fruits of a wide variety of plant species, many of which are cultivated, belonging to legumes.

For UNEP, legumes are the dried seeds of beans, broad beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas and other species that have contributed to human nutrition since the birth of agriculture; they are rich in micronutrients, fibers, minerals and an important source of vegetable proteins.

Legumes are part of the rich variety of food sources and biodiversity on the planet and their use is closely linked to the fight against climate change and is fundamental for the achievement of the sustainable development goals.

Legumes are also known for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, catalyzing the creation of high-quality organic matter in soils, promoting water retention. These features allow farmers to reduce the use of fertilizers and energy in arable farming systems, which also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Following the success of the International Year of Pulses (IYP) 2016, for which FAO played a leading role, the United Nations General Assembly, in December 2018, approved the request of the government of Burkina Faso to observe World Pulses Day on 10 February each year.

Among legumes, beans occupy a privileged place as this poor protein source has been an essential part of the human diet for centuries; today legumes are a primary and key source of food security in large sections of the population of Latin America, Africa and Asia. And as already mentioned, with other legumes, they are crucial for the health of the Earth.

The major producers of dried beans - which of all legumes are by far the most cultivated, with a percentage that varies between 34 and 46% of total world production - are Brazil and India.

In the "Novelle della Nonna", Emma Perodi's masterpiece, to which the Casentino Literary Park is dedicated, we find a precise reference to a dish of beans in the short story Il Diavolo che si fece frate.

In Casentino, cannellini, zolfini and borlotti beans are grown and those in the localities of Garliano (Municipality of Castel San Niccolò) and Quota (Municipality of Poppi) are particularly well known. The bean from the latter area (Phaseolus vulgaris) is dwarf white with slight light gray veins and is cooked after boiling it over low heat (for about two hours) without soaking it first; the taste is very delicate and has a very light skin. It is a species at risk of genetic erosion and to protect it it has been registered in the regional repertoires of indigenous genetic resources (L.R.50 / 97).

It seems that, after the discovery of America, Charles V introduced the beans to Tuscany, who allegedly donated them to Pope Clement VII (Giulio de 'Medici), who entrusted them to the care of canon Pietro Valeriano, botanist of the Saint Seat and then donated it to the Florentine Signoria.

As proof of the preciousness initially attributed to the bean, we recall that Alessandro de 'Medici in 1533 included the beans among the wedding gifts offered to his sister Caterina who was married to Henry II of France. In a document dated 1764 drawn up by the farmer of the New Nuns of Pratovecchio we read that 10 and ½ bushel of beans were produced that year.

According to the Casentinese Calendar of 1839, Montemignaio beans achieved almost double the current price on the markets of Pontassieve and Florence. The best way to cook the beans is to boil them after a soak time. Add a clove of garlic, sage, a small piece of onion to the cooking water and skim gradually.

Another simple but very tasty recipe is that of beans with rinds: after boiling the beans and boiling the pork rinds, combine the two foods and finish adding flavor to the fire.

The recipe for Fagioli all'uccelletto is a glory of Tuscan gastronomy: cook the beans in water, in an earthenware pan, fry diced beef, four cloves of garlic, sage, then add the beans and add salt and pepper; to taste, you can also add a little tomato to this recipe.

Another legume grown in Casentino is the cicerchia whose plant is similar to that of chickpeas. The abundant and prolonged consumption of this legume is dangerous because the cicerchia contains an amino acid (Odap) which can be toxic to the body. In reality, the probability of being poisoned by the cicerchia is very low, especially if the legume is soaked for at least 24 hours in salted water. Originally from the Middle East, they have become part of the traditional cuisine of some regions and for this they have obtained the name PAT (traditional Italian food product). Like all legumes, they are rich in proteins and vitamins, mineral salts and fibers.

The work entitled Mangiafagioli (1584-85) preserved at the Colonna Gallery in Rome, is considered a youthful masterpiece by Annibale Carracci. The painting is, in fact, an important example of painting. The work denotes the painter's interest in naturalism, the painting of life and the application of classical rules in representation. The character is taken from the humblest everyday life: a farmer is caught voraciously eating a plate of beans and a loaf of bread accompanied by fresh onions and a glass of wine. The setting is reduced, bare, the close-up view, the observer's attention is focused on the gestures of the man whose humility is enhanced by the cold light that filters through the window and by the dull and earthy colors.

Cover photo credits terrecasentinesi - Garliano beans

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