Sorana bean

Did You Know?

• Even within Tuscany the bean is uncommon, and outside Tuscany it can be impossible to find.
• Fraud involving Sorana beans is common.
• The Ghiareto Association holds annual festivals at planting and harvesting.

History

Beans from the New World reached Rome by 1515 and Tuscany by 1528, and were widely distributed by the early 17th century. By the early 19th century, beans grown around Sorana were recognized as high quality. Depopulation after the world wars nearly ended cultivation by the 1980s, and by 1994 the bean was in danger of extinction. Recovery began with the formation of the non-profit Associazione dei piccoli produttori del Fagiolo di Sorana Il Ghiareto ONLUS in 1994. With support from journalist Indro Montanelli and led by restaurateur Valdo Verreschi, the group promoted creation of the PGI, which encouraged renewed cultivation. PGI certification was granted in 2002.

Description and cultivation

The Sorana is a climbing-type bean, 1.5 cm long, pearly white, shiny, and slightly flattened, with a skin so thin it has been called imperceptible to the palate. Locally it is nicknamed piattellini for its flat shape. A cylindrical red bean, sometimes called Antico Rosso di Sorana, is also grown. Cultivation is limited to small plots along the Pescia River near Sorana, where modern farming techniques are generally not possible. Planting occurs during the last moon in May, on bamboo trellises 8 feet high, with soil kept moist. Harvest is from mid-August through mid-September, after which beans are sun-dried for several days.

Microclimate

The Slow Food presidium and PGI regulations require all Sorana beans to be grown in the Pescia Valley, in the comune of Pescia. The most traditional area is along the Ghiareto creek, which has its own microclimate at 220 to 750 m above sea level, with sandy soil poor in minerals, calcium, and nitrates, high humidity, low sun, high precipitation including heavy nightly dews, and protection from harsh weather. Restaurateur Verreschi stated that planting the bean elsewhere would not produce a bean that acts like a Sorana when cooked.

The poggio (highlands) area within the valley later began growing the beans, causing tensions because higher production there allows lower prices. Ghiareto farmers worried consumers might not understand the price difference. As part of PGI negotiations, protection was extended to both areas, with Ghiareto producers allowed to add di Ghiareto to labels. The agreement also prohibited herbicides, limited maximum yield per hectare, and specified allowed harvesting methods.

Recognition

The Sorana bean was noted for its exceptional quality as early as the 1800s. Food writer Davide Paolini declared it the undisputed king of beans in 1994. It received PGI certification in 2002, making it one of Tuscany’s smallest production systems to earn that status. Slow Food lists it on the Ark of Taste as an endangered traditional food. The New York Times described it as perhaps the most prized bean in the land of the mangiafagioli, likening it to Burgundy’s most sought-after grape. Saveur magazine called it legendary. Composer Gioachino Rossini once asked for a few kilos of these beans as payment from Giovanni Pacini for correcting a score. Marcella Hazan considered it the most precious bean grown in Italy. In 2019, it was among 24 PGI products featured at the European Parliament elections.