The archaeologist and the geologist who grow incredible chillies on the Po Delta

by Laura Giorgi 

An archaeologist and a geologist with a passion for spiciness cultivate around thirty varieties of chilli pepper in the Po Delta Park, in Argenta, in the province of Ferrara. For their respective jobs, Lisa Manzoli and Alessandro Montanari have always been used to working outdoors, but they can also be found in contact with the soil when not engaged in their professional activities, namely cultivating hot chillies.

A passion turned into a business in 2018

«We started from our shared passion for cooking, we have always enjoyed discovering new flavours and particularly spices. We have always liked chilli peppers because they adapt to many preparations. We began by exchanging fruits and seeds with friends, then decided to rent a thousand square metres of land and started doing some trials of cultivation – says Lisa. – Alessandro is from Argenta and has always been attached to the countryside. He would have liked to cultivate his grandfather’s land again but it was not possible, so we rented land beneath the Reno embankment and the grandfather’s little house became the logo of our small business “Il Piccante di Argenta”».

A blue caravan among the chillies

The trial went well and the land became one hectare, at the centre of which the couple placed a restored vintage caravan painted blue, which serves as their headquarters and where at least once a year they open the field to the public. The produce is sold at regional markets and even national events.
«We divided the plot into three parts – explains Alessandro – one we cultivate, now with about 1,500 plants, while the others we leave to rest by sowing them with grass and legumes for green manure. The shredded grass cuttings feed the clay soil, we do not need fertilisers».

A journey among chillies

In the Il Piccante di Argenta field not only are no fertilisers used, but weeding is done by hand, and for some time they have also been producing their own seeds, which would otherwise be difficult to find. Among the varieties cultivated there are not only the classic Italian ones, such as the Calabrian Diavolicchio or the a mazzetti hot pepper from Etna: most come from other parts of the world. The travels of Lisa and her husband Alessandro have guided the choice of chilli varieties to cultivate.
«I am deeply in love with Latin America and in fact we have many varieties from those areas; we have Peruvian clients living in Argenta who are moved every time because they say our chillies make them feel at home. That means we are on the right track, since the trip to Peru still awaits us. But sometimes travels are also occasions for surprises: for example, in Cuba they do not eat spicy food, contrary to what one might think given it is the land of Habanero. They prefer varieties of sweet peppers».

Now in the open fields of Argenta ripen: Jalapeño, Pasilla bajio and round hot peppers from Mexico, long Cayenne from French Guiana, yellow Aji amarillo from Peru. «From Peru also comes the Aji charapita, which is very rare, and because of its tiny fruits it takes a long time to collect a decent quantity – it is something like the saffron of chillies» say Lisa and Alessandro.

The yellow colour should not mislead: it is no less hot. Among these there are in fact the Hot Lemon, also Peruvian, excellent as a botanical for an intense gin and tonic (just a quarter cut lengthwise is enough); yellow is also the Bolivian Beni Highlands and the African yellow Fatalii. The vast world of Caribbean chillies, in Argenta, expresses itself through various shades of Habanero: red, orange, white, chocolate. While the top of the heat scale is reached by the Indian Naga Salmon and Naga Morich, as well as the red Scorpion of Trinidad and Tobago and the fiery American Carolina Reaper.

Harvest and processing

The harvest, which began at the end of August, is ongoing and will continue until November, after which the plants will die with the cold. But Il Piccante produces, in addition to fresh fruits (which Lisa recommends freezing in order to preserve their fragrance until the next harvest), also a range of processed products, relying on an external workshop: the classic dried chilli, chopped in oil, sweet pepper jams and mixed jams, but also orange jams made spicy with Habanero, with chillies of various varieties and intensities.

A short distance from Lisa and Alessandro’s field, the kitchen of Agrilocanda Val Campotto, run by another young couple, offers on its menu some spicy dishes that use their very products. «The beauty of chilli is that by getting to know the varieties, one can appreciate their aromatic peculiarities, from the citrusy Hot Lemon to the spicy Naga Salmon or certain fruity Habaneros – explains Alessandro –. It is not only the heat that characterises them: chillies are a truly versatile ingredient».

Photos by Mauro Monti