Due to its delicate, soft taste and low fibrous structure, it is eaten raw with salt and oil, or steamed. It usually accompanies fish dishes such as salmon or tuna, seasoned with butter or grated cheese. It is excellent for delicate vegetable sauces or for risotto of course, in any case, with recipes capable of enhancing its flavour. It is the violet asparagus, a variety of asparagus officinalis, which is grown in Albenga in the province of Savona. His name it is due to the important nutritional virtuesalso recognized by doctors. It is distinguished by its colour, which gradually fades towards the base, and by its medium-large shoots (the edible part of the plant).
The color it does not depend on cultivation, but on a genetic factor: it has 40 chromoses instead of the typical 20 like the classic asparagus. And it is for this reason that no crossing between the different types is possible.
The whole world envies us this vegetable, many have tried to grow it: from New Zealand, to California, Australia and the United States, but with very poor results. On the contrary, the alluvial soils of the Piana di Albenga are perfect, thanks to their sandy and silty layer, as well as the microclimate and salinity, due to the proximity of the sea. Despite the rarity of this asparagus, today its cultivation is slowly disappearing from the Ligurian lands: in 1970 it was cultivated on over 143 hectares, in 2000 there were less than ten.
Originally, there were different types of violet asparagus, which they differed in the size of the shoots and color intensity. The reduction in its production has led to the loss of these varieties. Reason why the violet has become a Slow Food presidium, aimed at protecting and enhancing all those small productions, at risk of extinction, such as for this type of asparagus.
As regards, however, the nutritional properties are the same as for any type of asparagus. Rich in vegetable fibers, folic acid and vitamins, in particular A, C, E and some of the B group. Furthermore, it contains mineral salts, including phosphorus, calcium and chromium, the latter decreases blood glucose levels when this is high, so it is strongly recommended to prevent diabetes, especially type 2.
Asparagus favors purification of the body and is an excellent natural diuretic, the so-called amino acid "asparagine" allows the elimination of excess sodium and, together with the high potassium content, regulates blood pressure, making it suitable for preventing both nervous system and cardiovascular systems. Excellent natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, thanks to folic acid it helps fight against aging.
The cultivation of violets requires a lot of patience, because from the moment of sowing to the first real harvest, four years go by. First you have to pay close attention to the terrain,
so that the plant can grow deeper. Subsequently, it is necessary to ensure that aerobic, oxygen-loving organisms develop, so as to make the soil fertile. Once fertilized, the soil is ready for the planting of paws, the so-called rhizomes, which will remain planted for at least ten years and each year will produce the shoots, which will then be sold in bunches. In order not to damage the plants, the cultivation takes place manually and for the first few years the harvest cannot be intense, so as to allow the young plants to develop.
However, if the production takes place in heated soils, harvesting could start as early as December. If in the past cotton waste filled with water was used to raise the temperature, over time more advanced techniques have spread, such as passing hot water pipes into the ground. However, even in this case, it is not possible to anticipate the harvest for more than two months.
The difficulty of cultivation has meant that the farmers have preferred to convert to more profitable crops and with shorter seasonal cycles, which allow for two harvests a year. In fact, the cultivation of violets is still linked to tradition: it begins on the day of San Giuseppe, i.e. March 19, and ends on June 24, the day of San Giovanni Battista.
The violet of Albenga therefore remains one of the excellences of our country which must be protected in order not to lose the diversity, not only biological, but also cultural of the Italian culinary tradition.
