Its Latin name, “Cynara cardunculus L. var. altilis D.C.” reads like an ancient Roman inscription, but the hunchback cardoon of Nizza really is one of a kind. It is easy to spot in the greengrocer’s thanks to its curved shape. Another visual clue is its milky white hue, and the first thing you notice when sampling it is its crunch without being stringy or bitter – the flavour is actually pleasantly sweet.
Its ideal terrain is sandy alluvial soil alongside the Belbo river, from Nizza Monferrato to the nearby villages of Incisa Scapaccino and Castelnuovo Belbo. There can be no other vegetable which calls for quite such a degree of hard work and experience as the Round Cardoon, and this is obviously reflected in its price, well above other species which can be cultivated without any special treatment.
The “cardaroli”, as the few growers who still go in for this speciality are called, plant only the variety known as “spadone”. It is planted in late spring and the plants are thinned out over the summer. At the end of September they are dug up on one side, laid on their side and then covered in earth. This, combined with the first cold weather in Autumn, is what causes them to hunch over and turn white. They reach perfection in November when the first frosts soften their fibrous flesh, just before they are picked. The Round Cardoon of Nizza is a fundamental part of the social tradition that is bagna cauda, but it is also used in many gourmet dishes like quiches and flans, served with fonduta cheese, or just blanched and served with anchovy sauce. Now the subject of a Slow Food Presidia, only a few dozen quintals a year are produced.