Virtù teramane

Virtù are the symbolic soup of Teramo, made on 1 May. They were born to «empty the pantry» at the end of winter: the remaining dried pulses (beans, chickpeas, lentils, broad beans, grass peas), the preserved parts of the pig such as rind, trotters and ears, and the last of the pasta.

To these are added the new produce of spring: peas, fresh broad beans, chard, chicory, wild fennel, carrots, celery and many herbs. According to tradition there should be seven ingredients of each kind, each cooked separately and combined at the end.

Dried pulses (100 g each)

• Beans
• Chickpeas
• Lentils
• Dried broad beans
• Grass peas

Pork

• 300 g pork rind
• 1 pig’s trotter and 1 ear (optional)
• 100 g prosciutto or guanciale

Spring vegetables and herbs

• 300 g peas and fresh broad beans
• Chard, chicory, escarole, spinach (1 kg in total)
• 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 1 fennel bulb, 1 onion
• Parsley, marjoram, wild mint, wild fennel
• 300 g tomato passata

Pasta and dressing

• 400 g mixed pasta (short and homemade)
• Extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper
• Grated pecorino

1. Two days before, soak the dried pulses separately (lentils only need a few hours).
2. The day before, cook each pulse separately in unsalted water until tender; keep the cooking water.
3. Clean, singe and blanch the pork pieces; cook them in water for about two hours, then cut them into small pieces.
4. On the day, boil the leafy vegetables separately, drain and chop them roughly.
5. In a very large pot fry the prosciutto or guanciale with oil, onion, carrots, celery and fennel; add the passata and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add the pulses, meat, greens, peas, broad beans and herbs, with some of the cooking water; simmer for 30 minutes.
7. Cook the pasta directly in the soup, adding hot water if needed. Serve with pecorino and a drizzle of oil.

• The secret is to cook each ingredient separately: each keeps its own flavour and texture.
• Spread the work over two or three days, as families do.
• Virtù are even better the next day.

We do not have photos of this dish yet: the image is an illustration made for this page.

Virtù have very old origins, tied to the rituals of passage from the cold season to the warm one: what was left of the winter stores was eaten and spring was welcomed with the first vegetables.

According to a popular legend, virtù were made by seven maidens, each bringing seven ingredients; hence the saying that they need «seven times seven» ingredients.