A heritage to preserve
The Pasulu ti la Signura (“Lady's beanâ€) is a white bean with a small crimson red coloration around the hilum. Very rare and endangered, it was the first to receive the De.Co. recognition and to be included in the Ark of Taste by Slow Food.
The name of this rare bean, typical of Pulsano and cultivated for over a hundred and fifty years, might derive from the small red coloration resembling the lips of noblewomen who took care of their appearance, or because farmers used to supply a good portion to the feudal lord's consort, being very appreciated for their tenderness, lightness, and digestibility. It is a bean that lends itself to quick cooking, expressing tenderness, lightness, and digestibility. Its fairly neutral flavor makes it suitable for producing healthy gelato and chocolate creams.
Another characteristic that sets it apart from all other beans is the cultivation protocol that involves a double sowing: the first around the beginning of spring with a harvest in late July, the second around August fifth with a final harvest in mid-October. In reality, each grower jealously guards their own sowing dates and carefully monitors each ripening phase with an expert eye, ready to sow and harvest based on their experience and climatic conditions. The origin and need for double sowing are uncertain: there are no scientific studies documenting favorable biochemical variations using this method, only testimonials reporting increased tenderness in cooking and on the palate only in beans obtained from the second sowing. Probably, since the diet in the past was mainly based on daily consumption of legumes, by the end of winter there was a small quantity of seeds available, and double sowing was carried out to ensure a sufficient harvest to meet family needs throughout the year.
