Fava beans from Ustica

Agricultural Product

Bodhi Peace - CC4.0

The Fava beans from Ustica are characterized by medium size and being very tender. Once they represented a cornerstone food in the local cuisine, today they are less common because they require manual cultivation and harvesting. During the harvest the plants are uprooted or mowed, creating characteristic sheaves which are left to dry. After a few days, the beans are separated from the straw, thanks to the wind from the island. Due to their small size, other harvesting techniques would risk breaking the legumes.
Broad beans are often eaten green, in the period between March and May, both raw and cooked, cooked in the frittedda with wild fennel. The most typical peasant preparation is the macco di fave, which is prepared with dried broad beans and flavored with wild fennel sprouts.