Santo Stefano di Sessanio lentils

Santo Stefano di Sessanio lentils are tiny, roundish and dark brown with purple tints. They are a local biotype, selected over time by the farmers of the Gran Sasso, and are a Slow Food Presidium and one of Abruzzo’s traditional food products.

They have a thin skin and a tasty heart: they need no soaking and stay whole when cooked. Production is small, largely in the hands of elderly farmers, and the fields suffer damage from wild boar.

They are grown in Santo Stefano di Sessanio and neighbouring municipalities, on the southern side of the Gran Sasso, inside the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. The fields lie between 1,000 and 1,600 metres: the best results come at around 1,200 metres.

• Santo Stefano di Sessanio
• Calascio
• Castel del Monte
• Castelvecchio Calvisio
• Barisciano
• Ofena

1. In late March they are sown on poor, limestone mountain soils.
2. The plants grow without irrigation, in the dry climate of the plateau.
3. Between late July and August the plants are cut, almost always by hand: ripening is staggered and changes with altitude.
4. The plants are gathered into sheaves and left to dry under a sheet.
5. They are threshed to separate the seeds, which are cleaned and packed. Combine harvesters are rarely used: on rugged land they would lose up to 30–40% of the crop.

In Abruzzo lentils are eaten all year round, but they are a must on New Year’s Eve. Santo Stefano lentils suit simple recipes.

• Lentil soup with garlic, celery, tomato and a drizzle of oil, served on toasted bread
• Soup with homemade pasta, such as sagne
• A side dish for sausages and cotechino, especially on New Year’s Eve
• Warm salads with extra virgin olive oil, onion and herbs

• Rinse them and put them in cold water: they are ready in 25–35 minutes, with no soaking.
• Add salt at the end of cooking so the skins stay tender.
• Check the label: some lentils sold as «from Santo Stefano» do not come from here.
• Keep them in a closed jar in a cool, dry place and use them within the year.

The image is an illustration drawn for abruzzoparchi.it: we could not find free photos showing the Abruzzo product itself. If you have a photo to share, write to us.

The growing of pulses, and lentils in particular, around Santo Stefano is mentioned in monastic documents as early as the year 998. For centuries lentils, together with sheep farming, were a precious resource for the villages of the Baronia di Carapelle.

As the mountains emptied, the fields shrank. The Slow Food Presidium, backed by the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, now brings together the producers who still grow them in the traditional way.