Italian Farro
The ancient wheat "farro", often translated as "spelt" in English, grows deep in the Garfagnana area north of Lucca at an altitude ranging from 300 to 1000 meters above sea level. It is the oldest cereal cultivated in Italy; both the Etruscans and Romans ate "puls", a porridge made from farro and seasoned with wine, olives, goat cheese, or ricotta!
If one analyzes the word farro, one finds that in Latin, "far" means "flour", which gives an idea of how important this product was for the ancestors of the area.
Farro in Lucca
When you come to Lucca, you will discover that this grain is often included in the dishes you find on the menu.
If it just says "farro", it will be a thick brown bean soup with farro in it; you eat it with a splash of raw olive oil and freshly ground pepper. Farro is also included in other rustic vegetable soups, remember to always season with raw olive oil and pepper.
Often you will find "Insalata di Farro", which can be various cold or lukewarm salads based on farro. In the rustic country restaurants, it can then be flavored with fresh tomatoes and basil, capers, and good raw olive oil. In a fish restaurant, it can be mixed with shrimp, mussels, celery, etc., all according to the chef's own imagination.
For dessert, it can be a chocolate cake with farro, a rather heavy cake but characteristic of the area.
To the great delight of the area, farro from Garfagnana has now received official quality recognition as a local specialty, in the same way as Parmesan cheese and Parma ham.
Written by Elisabeth Hjorth
May 2025
