Asparago Violetto di Albenga
Albenga Violet Asparagus
Big spears, deep purple at the tip shading to cream at the base. The colour is not a technique but genetics: this asparagus carries 40 chromosomes where every other variety has 20, so it cannot be crossed and diluted, which is why it still smells and tastes as it does. It was popular in the 1930s and has been all but given up since.
Designation
- Certification
- Slow Food Presidium
- Category
- Fruit, vegetables and cereals, fresh or processed
Where it is made
the Albenga plain, Savona province
How it is made
Open-field cutting starts in March and can run past the end of June; heated plots may not start before December nor go past April.