Fruit, vegetables and pulses

Capitignano parsnip

Capitignano parsnip, the Christmas Eve root of the upper Aterno valley

Shaped much like a carrot yet cream-white, it branches into a tangle reminiscent of ginger. Grown at 900 metres in the Alto Aterno, it is dug by hand from November to early March and kept in the dark in damp river sand. Village families saved it by sowing it for Christmas, and a Slow Food Presidium now backs its few remaining growers.

• Cream-white and intricately branched, a local ecotype adapted to Capitignano's soils
• A sweet, distinctive flavour that chilli and garlic bring into focus
• Fresh only in the cold months, and long-keeping when bedded in damp sand

How to enjoy it. Sauté it with garlic, oil and chilli, as Capitignano does on Christmas Eve, when it takes its place among the seven vegetable dishes of the dinner.

Production areas

Abruzzo

Season

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