Roveja Soup Pea

This little beauty is increasingly available due to the hard work of the Slow Food  Ark of Taste in promoting and protecting it. Grown for centuries as a staple food in the harsh climate of Italy’s Sibillini mountains in southeast Umbria it almost disappeared from cultivation. We were impressed by it on many levels. First of all there are the colours. Gorgeous speckled seeds in a range of red, brown, blue and green. Then the taste.  Deep and hearty and reminiscent of fava beans. Next is the ease of growing. As long as the climbing vines have some support they pretty much take care of themselves. Productive vines reach 1.5m and sport beautiful bi-colour pink and purple flowers. Shell and dry the peas for use whole in soups in stews or ground into a flour to make a polenta-like dish. A must try for all the legume lovers out there. aka Wild Pea of Umbria

Pisium sativum

Days to maturity: 100-110