Molise Techniques

Molise is historically a sheep country — the great Apennine transhumance routes (tratturi) ran through the region for millennia, and lamb remains the dominant meat of the regional table. Agnello al forno con patate (roast lamb with potatoes) is the Sunday centrepiece across Molise: joints of young lamb (leg, shoulder) laid over a bed of quartered potatoes, sliced onion, garlic, rosemary, and white wine, then roasted in the oven until the lamb is cooked through, the potatoes have absorbed the lamb fat and wine juices, and the exposed surfaces are golden and slightly charred. It is the definitive one-pan roast of the southern Apennine tradition.

Lamb cooked alla cacciatora in the Molisan style — jointed and browned in lard, then braised with local white wine, vinegar, rosemary, garlic and peperoncino until the sauce is concentrated and glossy. Unlike the Campanian version (which uses tomato), the Molisan cacciatora is agrodolce and wine-based, giving it a sharper, more acidic character that reflects the region's pastoral frugality.

Molise's celebration lamb with wild mushrooms and black truffle — a mountain dish that epitomises the region's position between Abruzzo's Apennines and the Campanian coastal influence. Lamb cutlets or leg braised with mixed wild mushrooms (porcini, ovoli, chanterelle depending on season), white wine, and shaved black truffle from Molise's own foraging grounds. The truffle is added at two points: finely sliced into the braise for depth, and thin slices laid over the lamb at service. Molise black truffle is less aromatic than Norcia but earthier.

Molise's Easter lamb preparation — a close cousin to Abruzzo's brodettato but simpler and cooked in a richer lamb broth rather than white wine alone. Young lamb shoulder is slowly simmered (not braised) in a broth made from the bones and offcuts for two hours until very tender, then removed and set aside. The strained broth is reduced. A liaison of egg yolks, beaten with lemon juice, flat-leaf parsley, black pepper and grated Pecorino Molisano, is tempered with several ladlefuls of the hot lamb broth before being returned to the pot off heat. The lamb pieces are returned and gently warmed in the thickened, creamy-yellow broth. Served in deep bowls with country bread.

Agnello alla molisana is the definitive Molisani lamb preparation: young lamb pieces braised slowly with white wine, onion, and generous sweet peppers (peperoni), finished with an egg-lemon liaison (or egg-vinegar, depending on the household) that thickens the braising liquid to a silky, slightly acidic sauce without flour. The egg liaison applied off-heat is the technique that distinguishes the Molisani preparation — it gives the sauce a richness and body that is quite different from a plain wine-braised lamb. The preparation is made for Easter (agnello pasquale) and for Sunday lunch throughout the year.

Milk-braised lamb from Molise — young abbacchio braised in whole milk with wild herbs (nepitella, wild thyme, and bay) until the milk reduces to a pale, curd-like sauce around the tender pieces. The milk's lactose gently browns the lamb exterior during the final stage of cooking, creating a golden-white coating. This is a traditional spring Easter preparation in Molise, celebrating the season of new birth — milk and young lamb together. The flavour is delicate, creamy, and herbally perfumed.

Molise's Easter lamb — young lamb pieces braised in white wine and broth until tender, then finished with a brodetto of beaten eggs, Pecorino, and lemon juice stirred into the hot cooking juices to create a rich, creamy-acidic sauce. The brodetto technique (egg-lemon emulsification into hot meat juices) is the Molisano equivalent of the Greek avgolemono — both produce a creamy, tangy sauce from the same ingredients. Eaten only at Easter in Molise, when the lamb is at its most delicate.

Despite Molise's small Adriatic coastline, salt cod (baccalà) is one of the most important proteins of the Molisan table — a preserved food that kept through the mountain winters when fresh fish was unavailable. Baccalà alla molisana is the characteristic interior preparation (distinct from the coastal preparations): salt cod, soaked 24-48 hours until desalted and softened, baked or braised with preserved Molisano peperoni (sweet or moderately hot dried peppers), black olives, capers, olive oil, and tomato. The dried pepper enrichment is specifically Molisano — the dried peperoni of the Molise interior (particularly from the Campobasso and Isernia areas) have a sweet-smoky concentration that fresh pepper cannot replicate.

Molise's Adriatic coast fish stew from Termoli — the smallest and most obscure of the Italian Adriatic brodeitti, less codified than the Marchegiani and Abruzzese versions. Termoli's brodetto traditionally uses 7 types of fish (one for each day of the week in Termoli's religious tradition), prepared in a soffritto of olive oil, garlic, peperoncino, and fresh tomato without wine or vinegar. The simplest of the Adriatic fish stews — the lack of acid base allows the fish's natural sweetness to dominate. Served with grilled bread made from Molise's durum wheat.

Caciocavallo molisano is the stretched-curd cheese (pasta filata) of Molise — made from whole cow's milk, hand-stretched into the characteristic pear or gourd shape, tied at the neck with rush twine, and aged hanging in pairs straddling a wooden beam (hence 'cacio a cavallo' — cheese on horseback). The Molisani tradition produces both a young version (fresco, 2-3 months, mild and slightly elastic) and an aged version (stagionato, 6-12+ months, sharp and granular, used for grating). The cheese is part of a continuous southern Italian pasta filata tradition that runs from Campania through Basilicata, Calabria, and Molise.

One of Molise's most characteristic dishes: a simple 'cheese and eggs' preparation made by beating eggs with grated aged Pecorino Molisano and parsley, then cooking in olive oil like a frittata but stirred continuously during cooking (like a French scrambled egg) until it forms large, soft curds — somewhere between scrambled eggs and frittata. Served as a breakfast, light lunch, or in the traditional Easter ritual context. The technique requires constant stirring with a wooden fork rather than a spatula — the fork creates the characteristic loose, curded texture.

The Easter soup of Molise: a clear lamb or chicken broth enriched at the last moment by a stracciatella-like mixture of whole eggs beaten with grated aged Pecorino Molisano, fresh mint, and black pepper, poured in a thread into the simmering broth while stirring. The eggs cook in thin, irregular wisps — neither fully scrambled nor a clear broth. It is the Molisano equivalent of the Roman stracciatella or Greek avgolemono — but without lemon, richer with the sheep's milk pecorino, and perfumed with fresh mint.

Calcioni (also called calzoni dolci in some variants) are the definitive sweet pastry of Molise at Easter: small, half-moon shaped pastries with a short, lard-enriched pastry dough encasing a filling of fresh sheep's ricotta, egg, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest. They are fried in lard (traditionally) or olive oil until golden, then dusted with icing sugar or honey. The combination of the barely-sweet, rich pastry and the lightly sweetened, citrus-scented ricotta is one of the most satisfying expressions of southern Italian pasticceria — not cloying, not dramatic, simply correct.

Suckling kid (capretto) — slaughtered at 3–4 weeks, before weaning — portioned into joints, marinated briefly in olive oil, white wine, crushed garlic, rosemary and black pepper, then assembled in individual packets of heavy aluminium foil or parchment with sliced waxy potatoes (also seasoned and oiled) and additional rosemary. Each packet is sealed tightly and placed directly on a wood-fire ember bed or in an extremely hot oven (220°C) for 35–40 minutes. The steam generated inside the cartoccio poaches the kid and potatoes in their own juices, the rosemary infuses throughout, and the sealed environment prevents the delicate milk-fed meat from drying. Opened at the table, the steam releases the aromatic concentration of the dish.

Cavatelli are small, dimpled pasta shells — rolled from a simple semolina-and-water dough and shaped by dragging a small piece of dough across a board with two or three fingers to create a shell with a concave interior. They are the everyday pasta of Molise, Basilicata, and Campania, served with the local ragù: a slow braise of mixed pork (ribs, sausage) and lamb with tomato, pecorino, and local herbs. The dimple in the cavatello is functional — it holds the dense ragù inside. The combination of the rough semolina texture and the fatty, long-cooked ragù is one of the most satisfying pairings in southern Italian cooking.

Ceppelliate (also spelled ceppeliate) are the characteristic Christmas filled pastries of the Molise interior: small, half-moon or ring-shaped pastries with a short, egg-enriched dough, filled with a dense mixture of chickpeas cooked with honey, cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves — a filling that is simultaneously sweet and deeply spiced, with the chickpea providing a neutral starchy base that absorbs the honey and cocoa completely. Fried in olive oil until golden, then dusted with icing sugar. The chickpea-honey-cocoa filling is uniquely Molisano — found nowhere else in Italian confectionery — and represents the meeting of the ancient chickpea tradition of the region with the spice-and-cocoa tradition of the 17th-century trading routes.

Coppa di testa (literally: head cheese) is the Molisano preparation of the pig's head: the head is slowly simmered until the meat falls completely from the bone, the cooked meat and skin are chopped and seasoned with salt, black pepper, lemon zest, orange peel, chilli, and the Molisano spice mix (sometimes with cinnamon and cloves in the older tradition), then pressed into a cylindrical mould, covered with the strained gelatinous cooking liquid, and refrigerated until set. The result is a sliceable terrine of meat, skin, and tongue set in a clear, pepper-and-citrus-scented gelatine — eaten cold as an antipasto with vinegar-pickled vegetables.

Molise's Sunday roast lamb — a whole leg of lamb from the Molisana mountain flock (lighter, more herbaceous than lowland lamb) roasted with waxy potatoes, rosemary, garlic, white wine, and Molisano olive oil in a large terracotta dish. The lamb basts the potatoes with its rendered fat as it cooks, and the wine and lamb juices reduce to a concentrated pan liquid that is the true sauce. Simple, honest, extraordinary.

San Martino (November 11) is the feast day of the new wine — the moment when the fermented grape must of the autumn harvest becomes wine, and the countryside of Molise and the central Apennines celebrates with a series of preparations made from the new must (mosto) or from sapa (the cooked, concentrated grape must). The Molisani San Martino pastries include: mostaccioli (diamond-shaped spiced biscuits made with cooked grape must, flour, and spices); miele di fichi (fig and grape syrup confections); and calzoni dolci (fried pastry half-moons filled with a mixture of grape jam and walnuts). These preparations are made only in November and mark the agricultural year's transition.

Thick potato and onion frittata from Molise — made thicker and denser than the standard Italian frittata by including more potato (cooked until completely soft) and more egg. The potatoes are first boiled and crushed (not mashed), then combined with beaten eggs, Molisano Pecorino, and caramelised onion. The frittata is cooked in a terracotta pan in olive oil and flipped onto a plate to finish the second side. The result is 3–4cm thick, golden on both sides, and yielding in the centre. A farmhouse preparation that is the primary meal, not a side dish.

Fusilli molisani are the hand-rolled pasta of Molise — made by rolling a small cylinder of pasta dough around a thin iron rod (il ferro, a knitting-needle-like implement) with a rapid rolling motion of the palm, then sliding the iron out to leave the characteristic helical shape. The technique requires practice: too much pressure tears the dough; too little and the helix doesn't form. Each fusillo is made individually. The traditional sauce is a long-cooked lamb ragù (ragù di agnello) with tomato, or simply tomato and basil in summer. The pasta shape is found across southern Italy (Campania, Calabria, Basilicata also make versions) but the Molisani call it their own.

Maccheroni alla molisana is the everyday pasta of Molise — a sauce made with rendered pancetta (or guanciale), crushed tomato, peperoncino, garlic, and finished with abundant grated Pecorino Molisano. The pasta is short and ridged (rigatoni, mezze maniche, or local pasta al ferretto) to hold the tomato-pork sauce. The preparation is deceptively simple and depends entirely on the quality of the pancetta (ideally the Molisani version, scented with rosemary and black pepper), the freshness of the Pecorino, and the intensity of the tomato (preserves, estratto, or very ripe fresh in summer). It is the Molisani equivalent of amatriciana — the same principle, slightly different execution.

Molise's Sunday ragù — pork ribs, sausages, and meatballs braised for 4+ hours in an initial soffritto base with wine and San Marzano tomatoes. The meat is served separately as a secondo after the pasta course, following the traditional Sunday lunch sequence where ragù serves as both sauce and protein vehicle. The long braise transforms the pork collagen into gelatin that enriches the tomato sauce with a body and sweetness no quick sauce can replicate.

A simple Molisan hand-rolled pasta dressed with a raw walnut sauce — one of Italy's oldest pasta preparations. Walnuts are pounded in a mortar with garlic, stale bread soaked in milk, marjoram and olive oil to form a rough, creamy paste. Tossed hot with freshly cooked maccheroni al ferretto — thick, hollow pasta rolled on a knitting needle — then finished with pecorino.

Molise's layered polenta preparation: poured polenta cooled to solid on a large board, sliced into sheets, then layered in a baking dish with a slow-cooked ragù of pork sausage, tomato, and Pecorino di Capracotta — resembling lasagne in structure but using polenta sheets instead of pasta. Baked until the polenta layers absorb the ragù and the cheese forms a golden, bubbling crust. A winter Sunday dish in the Molise interior that elegantly bridges the pasta and polenta traditions of the region.

Cicerchie (grass peas, Lathyrus sativus) are an ancient drought-resistant legume grown in the Apennine regions. This Molisano preparation braises them with pork rind, guanciale, and a preserved sausage until the broth becomes starchy and the legumes melt slightly at the edges. Finished with a generous scraping of aged pecorino and a thread of olive oil. Cicerchie are larger than farro, nuttier than chickpeas, and have a slightly bitter edge that requires the long-cooked pork fat to balance.

Wild bitter chicory (cicoria amara) from the Molise countryside gathered in early spring, blanched and then cooked in a pork bone broth with lard and peperoncino, finished with torn pieces of stale pane di casa and a thick grating of local aged Pecorino. The bitterness of the wild chicory is the point — it is moderated by the pork fat but not eliminated.

Farro (emmer wheat) and bean soup is the ancient winter preparation of the Molise highlands — the two grains/legumes that sustained the peasant diet through the long Apennine winter, cooked together in a single pot with a piece of guanciale or lard rind, rosemary, and sage. The Molisani version uses local borlotti or cannellini beans and whole farro (not pearled), producing a thick, spoon-standing soup that is a meal in itself. The preparation is found across central Italy (Umbria, Tuscany, Marche all have versions) but the Molisani preparation uses more generous aromatics and a soffritto fried until deeply golden.

Spring soup from Molise using fresh fava beans in their pods at the peak of season, cooked with cured guanciale and a soffritto of onion and spring onion. The beans are shelled, the inner skin removed from larger beans (older beans), and added to a base built with rendered guanciale, onion, and parsley. Water or light stock barely covers the beans; the soup cooks briefly (15–20 minutes) to preserve the fresh, grassy character of the fave. Finished with raw olive oil and grated aged pecorino. This is a seasonal dish eaten only for the short spring window when fresh fave are available.

A simple but deeply flavoured Molisan soup using borage (borragine) — a wild herb with cucumber-like flavour used extensively in southern Italian mountain cooking — combined with mixed pasta shapes (pasta mista), potato, onion and finished with a spoonful of fresh ricotta. The borage turns vivid green in the soup and imparts a distinctive, clean herbal note.

Pallotte cacio e ova (little cheese-and-egg balls) is one of the defining preparations of both Abruzzo and Molise — shared by the two regions that were historically united (Abruzzo e Molise until 1963). Small, rough balls of grated Pecorino and egg (with a small amount of bread to bind), fried in olive oil until golden, then simmered briefly in a simple tomato sauce until they absorb the tomato flavour and expand slightly. They are simultaneously the evidence of poverty (no meat, only eggs and aged cheese) and of culinary intelligence — the balls, fried and then sauced, achieve a texture that is simultaneously yielding and firm, with a concentrated cheese flavour throughout.

Panonta (from pane (bread) and unto (greased)) is the traditional enriched flatbread of Molise: a simple bread dough generously enriched with lard, seasoned with salt and coarsely cracked black pepper, sometimes flavoured with fennel seeds or dried rosemary, and baked in a wood-fired oven until the exterior is golden and slightly blistered and the interior is soft and fragrant with lard. It is both a table bread and a travelling bread — the lard enrichment extended its shelf life to several days, making it the bread that Molisano shepherds and farm workers carried on journeys. It is eaten plain, with prosciutto, or with the local sheep cheeses.

Molise's foundational pasta dish: a thick, porridge-like preparation of lagane (wide, irregular pasta ribbons) cooked directly in a bean broth made from local borlotti or cannellini, with lard-fried guanciale (jowl), garlic, peperoncino, and wild rosemary. The pasta cooks in the bean liquid and absorbs it entirely — there is no broth to drain; the dish arrives thick enough that a fork stands upright. Molisano in character because of the guanciale (Lazio influence from the south) and peperoncino (Campanian influence from the west) — a dish at the crossroads of three culinary territories.

Molise's ancient shepherds' preparation — mutton (castrated male sheep, pecora) cooked for 5–6 hours in a sealed terracotta pignata (earthenware pot) with wild herbs, garlic, onion, and water only, buried in the embers of a dying fire or placed in a low oven. The result is a meat preparation of extraordinary tenderness and depth — the collagen of the mutton dissolves completely, the herbs permeate every fibre, and the broth is richer than any reduction. A preparation defined by patience, fire, and terracotta.

Capracotta, the highest village in Molise (1,421m), is the centre of the upper Molise sheep cheese tradition — a Pecorino made from raw sheep's milk from flocks that still follow the ancient transhumance routes between the Molise highlands and the Apulia plains in winter. The Capracotta Pecorino is unmoulded, salted, and aged in cool mountain cellars for minimum 3 months (fresco) to 12+ months (stagionato). The milk quality — from sheep grazing on the flower-rich meadows of the Matese plateau — produces a cheese with a complexity and a mountain-flower herbaceousness that lowland Pecorini cannot replicate. The semi-aged version (4-6 months) is the most versatile: sliceable but already developing the sharpness of aging.

Sweet Italian peppers (red and yellow Senise-style peppers or cornetto peppers) slowly stewed in olive oil with onion, garlic, tomato and a splash of wine vinegar until completely collapsed and silky, finished with fresh basil. A strictly summer preparation when peppers are at their sweetest, peperonata is served at room temperature as a contorno or antipasto in Molise with crusty bread.

Molise's winter polenta service: coarsely-milled yellow polenta cooked for 60-90 minutes in the traditional paiolo (copper pot), served on a wooden board (the 'spianatora') and topped with a slow-braised tomato sauce of pork spare rib tips (spuntature) — the short, cartilage-rich rib ends that cook long in tomato, onion, wine, and lard until collapse-tender and the braising liquid is concentrated and glossy. The polenta is poured directly onto the board and the meat and sauce ladled over — no plates, communal eating.

Sagnarelle are wide, rough-edged semolina pasta strips unique to Molise — cut thick (3–4mm), irregular in width, with a torn or ruffled edge that catches sauce. Paired with a long-cooked pork shoulder ragù enriched with peperoni cruschi (sun-dried sweet red peppers rehydrated in oil), this dish is the signature Sunday pasta of the Campobasso area. The peperoni cruschi add a sweet, slightly smoky depth unlike chilli.

One of Molise's most enduring preparations: sagne — broad, flat hand-cut pasta similar to maltagliati but cut more deliberately into irregular quadrilateral shapes — cooked together with dried borlotti beans in a fragrant tomato base. Borlotti beans soaked overnight are half-cooked in plain water, then the cooking liquid is reserved. A soffritto of onion, celery, carrot and lard is built, ripe fresh tomatoes (or passata in winter) are added and reduced to a dense sauce, then the half-cooked beans and their liquid are added. The sagne are made fresh from semolina and water, cut roughly and dropped directly into the simmering bean-tomato broth for the final 12 minutes. Finished with raw olive oil, torn basil and peperoncino.

Sagne 'ncannulate are the signature handmade pasta of Molise: wide, long, twisted ribbons of egg pasta (or, traditionally, semolina and water), rolled thin and then twisted around a reed (canna) or a long stick to produce a spiral form that is structurally different from tagliatelle or pappardelle — the spiral catches sauce in its interior curves while the flat surface grips the pasta coating. They are served with the ragù of Molise (pork-and-lamb based, not beef), with legumes, or simply with pork sausage and tomato. The twisting technique is unique to Molise and Basilicata.

Molise's truffle culture centred on the Biancone del Molise (Tuber borchii) and the black summer truffle (Tuber aestivum) found in the Matese mountains and Campobasso hills — less commercially prominent than Umbrian or Piedmontese truffles but prized locally for their accessibility and fresh, garlicky character. The primary preparation is eggs with truffle: farm eggs scrambled softly in butter, with shaved or grated truffle folded in off-heat. The egg's fat carries the truffle's aromatics with more immediacy than pasta-and-oil.

Scamorza abruzzese is the stretched-curd (pasta filata) cheese of the Abruzzo interior — made from whole cow's milk, shaped into the characteristic pear with a narrow neck (smaller than caciocavallo), and either left fresh (bianca) or lightly smoked over hay or straw for 24-48 hours (affumicata). The smoked version, grilled on a cast-iron grill or directly on embers until the exterior chars and blisters and the interior becomes molten, is the definitive Abruzzese antipasto — served whole or halved, the melted cheese running from the cuts. It is one of those preparations where the technique (high-heat grilling of a specific cheese) produces a result completely different from any other cooking method.

Scamorza affumicata is a smoked, pulled-curd pasta filata cheese made from cow's milk with a distinctive pear shape tied at the neck. The Molisano version, made in the mountainous areas of Isernia, is grilled directly over charcoal or hardwood embers — the outside blisters and chars, the inside melts into a liquid, smoky cream. Served on a wooden board with grilled peppers, aubergine, and wild mushrooms as a vegetarian secondo.

Grilled smoked scamorza from Molise — a deceptively simple preparation that depends entirely on execution. Scamorza affumicata is a stretched-curd (pasta filata) smoked cheese; grilled directly on a plancha or heavy iron pan, it forms a caramelised crust while the interior becomes liquid and stretching. The technique requires a very hot, well-seasoned pan, no oil, and careful timing: 2–3 minutes per side maximum. Served immediately, before the cheese re-firms. Paired with grilled vegetables (peppers, zucchini) or honey and walnuts (the sweet version). A Molisano tradition for both antipasto and secondo.

Molise's smoked stretched-curd cheese — the same pasta filata technique as Mozzarella but worked hotter and dried for 2-3 days until semi-firm, then cold-smoked over beech wood and cherry wood chips for 12-24 hours producing a burnished, amber-brown shell with a smoky, milky interior. Beloved grilled directly on the plancha or over coals where it softens and develops a caramelised, golden exterior while the interior melts to a pull-apart stringy mass. One of the most culinarily versatile cheeses in the southern Italian repertoire.

Molise has a narrow Adriatic coastline between Termoli and the Abruzzo border — short but significant, and home to a coastal cooking tradition that intersects with the inland mountain food. Scapece molisana is the coastal preparation: small fish (alici/anchovies, triglie/red mullet, or whatever the day's catch provides) fried crisp in olive oil, then marinated for at least 24 hours in white wine vinegar spiked with saffron. The saffron gives the escabeche its golden-yellow colour and a floral, metallic depth that the vinegar alone cannot provide. The technique is shared across the Adriatic coast (scapece abruzzese, scapece pugliese) but the Molisano version's emphasis on saffron is distinctive.

Signorelle (also called cicerchiata in Molise) are the Carnival and Christmas fried dough preparation: small balls of simple dough (flour, eggs, lard, white wine, sugar, and a pinch of baking soda) fried in lard until golden and puffed, then coated in honey and piled into a mound or formed into a ring — the honey sets as it cools, binding the fried dough balls into a sticky, honeyed mass that is broken apart at the table. The preparation is identical in concept to the Neapolitan struffoli and the Abruzzese cicerchiata, and represents the same ancient tradition of fried dough with honey as the primary winter festival sweet of the Apennine tradition.

Cubed lamb shoulder and seasonal vegetables threaded on rosemary-branch skewers and grilled over charcoal — a simple Molisan preparation that relies entirely on the quality of the lamb and the heat of the charcoal fire. Alternating lamb, red pepper and onion on the skewer creates a self-basting mechanism as the fat from the lamb drips onto the vegetables below. Seasoned only with salt, peperoncino and rosemary.

Tacconelle (flat, diamond-shaped egg pasta made from a very stiff durum semolina dough) cooked directly in the borlotti bean broth so they absorb the bean starch and the broth thickens to a dense, unctuous consistency. The dish is Molise's version of pasta e fagioli — coarser, more rustic and with the pasta integral to the dish rather than added separately.

Tacconi are broad, irregular hand-torn pasta squares — made from a coarse mix of semolina and farro or barley flour — that are roughly torn rather than cut, giving them uneven edges that grip sauce. The sauce is a simple combination of fresh fave (shelled broad beans) or rehydrated dried fave, pancetta tesa (flat cured pork belly) cut into lardons and rendered until crisp, onion softened in the pancetta fat, and a ladleful of pasta cooking water to bind. The cooked tacconi are tossed vigorously in this sauce with torn flat-leaf parsley and grated Pecorino. A dish of spring or late winter depending on whether fresh or dried fave are used.