9,4 Mb - formato pdf - Enoteca Regionale
9,4 Mb - formato pdf - Enoteca Regionale
9,4 Mb - formato pdf - Enoteca Regionale
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SOLINA WHEAT<br />
Solina wheat is grown in all of the Province of L’Aquila and several mountain<br />
communities of the Provinces of Pescara and Chieti.<br />
Solina is a variety of wheat that survives in many marginal rural areas of<br />
Abruzzo and to which it is ideally suited. It is frugal so it is also compatible<br />
with organic farming methods, as it does not require large amounts of nitrogen,<br />
whilst its size and branching capacity mean it will fight off weeds so<br />
chemical weeding is not required.<br />
When inland Abruzzo refers to wheat (“rène”, “rano”), it intends solina.<br />
Several proverbs bear witness to the close connection between this cultivar<br />
and the way of life in Abruzzo. In particular, its most valued feature is its<br />
reliability as a crop, which in the past meant that families were guaranteed<br />
survival and food. In some proverbs, the fine sensorial traits of this wheat<br />
are praised and, in fact, it is rightly maintained that “solina puts all flours<br />
right”. Even today the excellence and genuineness of solina are acknowledged<br />
by many farmers and despite the modern cultivars available and their<br />
production characteristics, they feel they cannot do without the flavour and<br />
aroma of bread and pasta made with this type of cereal. Even those who<br />
only have a vague childhood recollection of it are ready to swear to its<br />
uniqueness and evoke the sensations generated just by mentioning its<br />
name.<br />
Its ancestry is proved not only by proverbs (“each day wheat returns to solina”<br />
and “solina is the mother of all wheats”), but also by historical documents,<br />
like 1500s sales deeds drawn up at the Lanciano Fair, and in a late<br />
1700s text, an essay by Michele Torcia Pel paese de’ Peligni, which states<br />
“We must not forget the bread made in Popoli, who will sell it only to<br />
Teramo in all the reign … Popoli bread is made with solino wheat…”. This<br />
is a very rare and documented example of the bond between a variety of<br />
product and its territory. For further information on the history and traditions<br />
of solina wheat, there is recently-published research by Porfiri O., Silveri<br />
D.D., Torricelli R., Veronesi F., Le risorse genetiche autoctone della regione<br />
Abruzzo: un patrimonio da valorizzare, ARSSA, Avezzano (Aq) 2004; also<br />
Origine e storia delle piante coltivate in Abruzzo by A. Manzi, Casa editrice<br />
Rocco Barabba, Lanciano (Ch) 2006, and lastly Saggio itinerario nazionale<br />
pel paese de’ Peligni fatto nel 1792 by M. Torcia (Naples, 1793), reprinted<br />
in 1986, edited by Adelmo Polla Editore, Cerchio (Aq).<br />
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION<br />
Solina is a soft wheat (Triticum aestivum) with a definite winter habitus (cannot be<br />
sown in spring), with a prone/semi-prone position when branching is complete. It is a<br />
tall plant (110-135 cm), with a small-long bearded ear (8.0-9.5 cm), white in colour<br />
(with occasional red ears); the aristas are the same colour as the ear. This is a local<br />
spring cultivar with late earing and ripening. It produces large caryopses (42-46mg,<br />
2.85-2.95mm in length), with a reasonable amount of protein (13.5-15.5%).<br />
It is very sturdy and suited to poor terrains, resistant to the cold, with limited (no more<br />
than 20q/ha), but constant production.<br />
Solina wheat flour is good for bread-making and is not too viscous, so suitable for<br />
manual kneading.<br />
PROCESSING AND CONSERVATION METHODS<br />
CULTIVATION PHASES:<br />
1. Crop rotation: solina produces best crops after rotation with corn and potatoes, or<br />
grain legumes like chickpeas and lentils; excellent results are obtained after pasture<br />
rotated with annual clove or sainfoin, whereas planting after lucerne could cause problems<br />
for the excess residual strength in the terrain, causing over-development in<br />
height and consequent lodging of the crop and loss of production. Under no circumstances<br />
should it follow other cereals, especially because it is sensitive to some fungi<br />
like “rot” (Tilletia carie, commonly called “carbonella”).<br />
2. Sowing: the seeds are only sown in autumn, from mid-September (for higher altitude<br />
terrains like the Cinque Miglia plateau) to the second ten days in October for<br />
inland valley land. Sowing in other periods will not bring good results. About 200-<br />
220kg of seeds are sown per hectare, which is the equivalent of 450-500 seeds per<br />
square metre. Even nowadays the terrain is measured using local units and a “coppa”<br />
(11kg) of grain is required to sow a “coppa” (520 sqm) of land.<br />
3. Harvest: harvesting, depending on the crop, will vary from mid-July to the last ten<br />
days in August; there will be years when sowing and harvesting will practically coincide.<br />
When reaping was done manually and was therefore separate from threshing,<br />
work began in late June, as indicated by an ancient Valle Subequana proverb, which<br />
says: “St Peter’s Day (29 June) reap the green and dry”. In this case the wheat continued<br />
to ripen in the sheaf before it was taken to the threshing floor.<br />
PROCESSING AND CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES:<br />
The wheat is stored in cool, dry warehouses and usually in sacks or loose. In several<br />
areas (Valle Subequana) it was customary to conceal bundles of scented herbs (not<br />
specified) amongst the sacks in the warehouse, to keep mice away.<br />
Solina flour is used for home baking of bread and pasta.