Identikik and main features
The Cervere leek has a long and thin stalk. It is white in the upper section and is usually sold in typical bunches of 20-30 leeks of the same size, with the green part just above binding point. It has sweet and delicate taste, and it is sowed between March and April. It is cropped in Autumn and is can be easily harvested during the winter season if stored in a dark and cold place.
Area of production
Municipality of Cervere.
History
In ancient Egypt, the leek was eaten by the slaves working on the pyramids. From that period, it survived along the centuries into the Roman-Greek period. Pliny named this plant “porrum”. In the Middle-Ages, the leek, together with a limited number of other plants, solved the food problems during famines and pestilences, which recurrently struck the populations. Today, the leek is known, cultivated and distributed all over the world. The ancient tradition of Cervere leek is proven by the local of variety “porro lungo d’inverno” (long winter leek), traditionally named and known as “Cervere”. Its particular cultivation methods are handed down from generation after generation. The “Porro di Cervere” represents more than two thirds of the entire leek crop in Piedmont.
