Pietro Bongiovanni
Nizza Monferrato Hunchback Cardoon producer
Pietro Bongiovanni was born into a farming family in 1936. Today he cultivates an extensive vegetable garden for the needs of his family and friends, and is one of the producers of the Nizza Monferrato Hunchback Cardoon Presidium.
The cardoon is cultivated along the Belbo River in the province of Asti, using a method that has been practiced for more than 100 years. As the plants grow, they are bent and buried so that the stems turn white and the typical hump is formed.
From 1932 the vegetable started to attract attention at fairs, winning awards and medals, and demand grew quickly. Demand from neighboring towns and regions was enormous and following a successful production period in the 1950's, a more rapid processing and maturation timeline was adopted. This however resulted in a decrease in quality and sweetness of the vegetable, which almost destroyed the market completely, worsened by various floods in the region.
When the variety was revived, the product and its method of its cultivation, using a hoe, once again attracted attention.
The Nizza Monferrato hunchback cardoon was one of the first products to become a Slow Food Presidium in Piedmont.
Presidia are Slow Food products that protect small-scale production of quality products using traditional methods. Producers belonging to an Italian Presidium adhere to production rules that respect tradition and environmental sustainability and their products are recognizable by the Slow Food Presidium logo on the label or packaging.
Pietro Bongiovanni was interviewed in 2011.
The cardoon is cultivated along the Belbo River in the province of Asti, using a method that has been practiced for more than 100 years. As the plants grow, they are bent and buried so that the stems turn white and the typical hump is formed.
From 1932 the vegetable started to attract attention at fairs, winning awards and medals, and demand grew quickly. Demand from neighboring towns and regions was enormous and following a successful production period in the 1950's, a more rapid processing and maturation timeline was adopted. This however resulted in a decrease in quality and sweetness of the vegetable, which almost destroyed the market completely, worsened by various floods in the region.
When the variety was revived, the product and its method of its cultivation, using a hoe, once again attracted attention.
The Nizza Monferrato hunchback cardoon was one of the first products to become a Slow Food Presidium in Piedmont.
Presidia are Slow Food products that protect small-scale production of quality products using traditional methods. Producers belonging to an Italian Presidium adhere to production rules that respect tradition and environmental sustainability and their products are recognizable by the Slow Food Presidium logo on the label or packaging.
Pietro Bongiovanni was interviewed in 2011.
Video table of contents
Interview information
Country: IT
Region: Piemonte
City: Nizza Monferrato
District: AT
Altitude: 138m s.l.m.
Pietro Bongiovanni
Date of birth: 06-27-1936
City: Nizza Monferrato
School: Primary
Profession: Farmer
Languages: Italiano
Document by: Irene Rubiano
Video by: Irene Rubiano
Created: 23-11-2011
