It is mistakenly considered a relative of common garlic, more delicate and less indigestible, but this is not the case. The poor Aglione of the Val di Chiana has had to suffer over the centuries not only the oblivion but also the profanation of its vegetable identity. Because what has always been known as Aglione, whose scientific name is Allium ampeloprasum var. holmense, considered a larger relative, due to its considerable size, of the common garlic, is instead a genetic modification of the wild leek, known as "Porrancio", and, like the leek, belongs to the Liliaceae family, even if its bulb is more similar to garlic, which leads to confusion with the latter.
Its history is ancient. Once it was widespread throughout the Mediterranean, it was in common use first by the Egyptians and then by the Etruscans and Romans. Traces of bulbs of Aglione have been found in the palace of Knossos in Crete (1400-1700 BC). At the time, in fact, it was believed that Aglione had performance-enhancing properties and Hippocrates recommended its use to treat lung disorders, as a disinfectant or purgative and for abdominal swelling and uterine problems.
The Etruscans made extensive use of it and it was cultivated above all in the area which corresponds to the current Val di Chiana. But also on the island of Giglio. The latter thing that has a historical reason. The beautiful Tuscan island, once covered in Mediterranean scrub, a holm oaks, cork, erica e arbutus, where goats grazed in abundance, suffered a dramatic pillage in 1544 by the pirate Khayr al-Din known as Barbarossa, who killed anyone who opposed it and deported over 700 Gigliesi as slaves to Constantinople.
The Medici lordship that governed Tuscany decided to immediately repopulate the island, for defensive and strategic purposes, with families from the Val di Chiana, who, as they moved from the mainland, certainly brought with them cloves of Aglione among their household goods.
Incredibly, despite the history it carries with it, Aglione is a species that has been little considered by botanists, to the point that there was little knowledge until a few years ago. Then finally in 2016 an important research project was launched on its nutraceutical and organoleptic qualities financed by the Quality and Rural Development company of Montepulciano and by the Association for the Protection and Enhancement of Aglione della Valdichiana, directed by prof. Stefano Biagiotti, professor of Economics and Environmental Policies at the Pegaso Telematic University.
The analyzes conducted by the Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences of the University of Pisa on garlic and Aglione samples revealed substantial differences from a metabolomic and nutraceutical point of view.
First, it was confirmed that theAglione compared to garlic shows a reduced fiber content compared to garlic samples e it has no traces of allicin, the compound which makes garlic difficult to digest and which causes the typical halitosis in those who consume it, hence the greater digestibility of this excellence of the Tuscan Valdichiana and the reason why, in the markets, it was nicknamed "garlic of the kiss" or "kissingarlic".
The study also made it possible to ascertain that “the total phenol content turned out to be about double in the Aglione samples, suggesting a sensitive antioxidant potential attributable to this class of secondary metabolites. Finally, the metabolomic screening has highlighted the presence of a series of molecules with antimicrobial action, anticancer and anti-inflammatory most represented in the samples of Aglione”.
You won't believe it but the Aglione della Val di Chiana was a bit falling into oblivion. Cultivated sporadically by a handful of farmers mostly for personal and family use, if they had managed to produce no more than 2.000 heads a year, it was considered an endangered species.
Finally in recent times we have run for cover. In 2016, the Tuscany Region included Aglione in the regional and national list of traditional agricultural products (PAT) or products «obtained with methods of processing, conservation and seasoning consolidated over time, homogeneous for the whole territory concerned, according to traditional rules, for a period of not less than twenty-five years"
Immediately afterwards, the Association for the protection and enhancement of Aglione della Valdichiana was set up in Montepulciano by the will of 23 producers and municipal administrations. And then the process was started to obtain the DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) brand, considered a necessary action to protect both producers and consumers from possible counterfeiting, making Aglione della Valdichiana immediately recognizable, guaranteeing its origin and quality. Last but not least, Slow Food has included Aglione among its principals. All of this has met with growing success both in terms of profitability for the producers and in terms of media visibility, rekindling interest in this extraordinary, long-unrecognized product and laying the foundations for valorising Aglione della Valdichiana as a product high nutraceutical value.
Today we can therefore, rightly, consider a new future for this historical testimony of biodiversity which today appears defined under the cultural and scientific aspects thanks to the studies conducted three years ago. “With this project – declared prof. Biagiotti at the time of the presentation of the research – he put another piece of the puzzle on the knowledge of this typical product. The results will be available to the producers of the association, so that they can be used as a lever of promotion and information for consumers who want to be increasingly informed”.
"The results make us think - added Lucia Guidi of the Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences of the University of Pisa - such as to justify its cultivation and the desire to disseminate its use even in a broader context than the current areas of cultivation and consumption. The research has developed an analysis model that producers will be able to replicate for their site-specific productions”.
From science we now turn to the stove.
In the kitchen Aglione is used like garlic but due to its extremely delicate and sweetish flavor it is suitable for a greater number of preparations because its delicate aroma does not cover that of the other ingredients and is perfectly digestible even by those who usually avoid garlic. 'garlic.
His historic marriage is with Pici, a humble dish of the Tuscan peasant tradition , but which also spread to the neighboring regions, from Umbria to northern Lazio in the Viterbo area, up to the Marches, changing its name as umbrines, earthworms, ciriole, bigoli, bring them torcolacci, filarelli, pisciarelli, lilleri, stringoli and stringozzi. However, the recipe remains the same for everyone: a pasta made of flour, water and salt with an elongated shape, reminiscent of spaghettoni, which is prepared by working the dough of flour, water and salt with the palms of the hands which is made thin and stretched with a rubbing movement which is called "appiciare", from which the name of the pasta derives.
It has been said that a poor dish, which in the more luxurious version is enriched by the presence of an egg in the dough. Poor but very old. There is a trace of it in a funerary monument of 5th century BC in the famous Tomb of the Leopards of Tarquinia, which depicts a banquet where long, irregular pasta appears, which we can presumably consider the forerunner of the Pici.
The recipe for Pici all'Aglione calls for the sauce to be prepared by placing slices of garlic, white wine and oil in a pan. The Aglione absolutely must not be fried, a mistake not to be made in order not to take away the sweetness of the dish, but cooked until it flakes into a cream, at which point you add the tomato into small pieces and mix until you reach a sauce of the desired consistency.
Some time ago to taste this simple but tasty dish of the Tuscan peasant tradition it was obligatory to go to the Val di Chiana because, as we have seen, its cultivation was disappearing.
But now things are changing, the fashionable trend of recovering ancient traditions has meant that Aglione is starting to circulate again at least in the most important squares and many chefs have embraced the philosophy of "garlic kissed".
Here is what is traditionally considered the original recipe:
Pici all'Aglione for 4 people
Ingredients
4-5 cloves of garlic (100-110 gr.)
g. 300/350 tomato pulp or peeled, better ripe fresh tomatoes oil
sale
White wine
Preparation
Pour some oil (4-5 tablespoons) into a large pan, crush the Aglione and pour half a glass of white wine (or water). Cover and cook over a moderate heat for about 15 minutes, making sure that the wine does not evaporate completely. Add a little more if needed. With a fork, put pressure on the pieces of Aglione as when mashing potatoes, when they mash easily continue until they are all finely chopped, add the tomato and salt. Continue to cook by lowering the heat until it reaches the desired consistency. This is the original recipe, if you want to customize it you can add other flavors such as pepper, chilli etc. or introduce the mix and form a cream. Important, do not fry the Aglione.
