Lentils have always played an important role in the nutrition of rural populations since they are easy to grow and adapt to various kinds of soil, withstand drought and are an excellent food rich in proteins and vitamins.
The distribution of lentils in the territory progressively dropped as
the countryside was abandoned and the sharecropper methods with their
self-sufficient type of farming gave way to specialized cultures. Up to
the nineteen fifties every holding used to have a piece of ground where
one or the other variety of lentils were grown, even though none of
these could be traced back to a local ecotype. Nowadays this crop has
been reassessed by a few farms, particularly those interested in
organic farming, and even if production is moderate, a certain interest
has been shown by the market and customers.
The commonest variety is the polychromatic one, which is small, with a
tender hull and which remains firm after cooking. Around 50-80 kilos
sown per hectare yield about 7 to 8 quintals per hectare.
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