Organic black chickpeas of Fortore

Tradition

“Prope iam fessis caede magis quam pugna adiungit.”

“[The Carthaginians] they were almost more exhausted for the accomplished massacre than for the fatigue of the battle."

- Tito Livio, Ab Urbe condita libri

Fortore is the river that flows from the Sannio to the Adriatic Sea, passing through parts of Campania and Puglia. The watercourse is historically famous because it was identified with the "Aufidus" river, where the battle of Cannae was fought. The Carthaginian army led by Hannibal encircled and destroyed the Roman contingent commanded by the consuls Lucius Aemilius Paulus and Gaius Varro, though they were fewer in number. It was 216 BC and it represented one of the most sensational defeats for the Roman army.

Wrong tactical choices led to a total defeat: The Romans took a tight and compact formation, strengthened by superior numbers and equipment of the infantry, and charged the center of the enemy formation. Hannibal's strategic superiority was confirmed in the perfect use of his troops, more agile and fast, in fact after surrounding the legions they began a massacre in one direction. Probably the first example of successful history pincer maneuver.

This historical and natural context is also the background for the production of very particular legumes, with precious organoleptic characteristics. Black chickpeas can be easily confused with a little stone because its small size and its black, angular skin, very thick and iron. This legume is the result of a crop that still uses traditional techniques, free range and manual harvest to preserve its integrity.

#History #Tradition #Gooty