Ancient varieties of cereals

Pignoletto yellow and red

Corn originating from the Turin, Cuneo and Canavese areas, whose seeds are particularly tempting for small birds. Perhaps for this reason, nature, which leaves nothing to chance, has equipped the pignoletto with drop-shaped, slightly pointed grains, from which its nickname "rostrato dog's tooth" derives.
There are two ecotypes of the pignoletto, the yellow pignoletto and the red pignoletto: the flour obtained from the first has a sweeter taste, the second instead has a marked flavour, with slightly bitter hints, and is the most used in meliga pasta recipes.

Red ottofile corn

If you want to demonstrate that you are a fine connoisseur of ancient corn and can recognize a variety with a single glance, the "ottofile" is the one for you! This Turin variety is distinguished by the "eight ranks", i.e. the number of rows in which the grains are arranged around the tutulo, the internal part of the cob.
The foliage, vigorous and tender, almost acts as a 'sail' in the presence of wind, increasing the risk of the stem falling: however, the plant is rustic and tenacious, and in the hours following summer storms it is not uncommon to see the romantic octophilous tree bending and then get up and look at the sun again.

Gentil Rosso soft wheat

It is defined as an ancient grain because it has not undergone selection interventions by man.
Characterized by a yellow-red ear, it is resistant to diseases and has good rusticity and adaptability. Its large size makes it sensitive to lodging and for this reason, in the past, it was abandoned to make way for smaller and more productive varieties.

It has a very low gluten content: the result is a so-called "weak" flour, which gives the dough little elasticity and leavening strength, but high digestibility.