Aglione of Valdichiana

It is a giant garlic its characteristic flavor without allina and its derivatives, and has a distinctive spicy fragrance, much more delicate than the traditional garlic. It is white tending to ivory with nearly spherical slightly flattened at the poles, generally has inside six cloves that have separated and large. This type of garlic can also reach a weight of 800 grams. The Aglione of Valdichiana is a plant used in Traditional Tuscan cuisine, in particular of Valdichiana, for its particular organoleptic properties, the sweet taste and high digestibility because it doesn't contain allina.

The Aglione of Valdichiana takes part of its name from the place where it originated its production, in fact, that is where for centuries is grown with natural methods.

Currently it is grown in the countryside, born as a result of land reclamation, of Valdichiana where there are soils characterized by high fertility and soil conditions suitable for this type of crop. The territory covered production falls in common: Montepulciano, Torrita di Siena, Sinalunga, Chiusi, San Casciano dei Bagni, Chianciano, Sarteano, Cetona, Foiano della Chiana, Cortona, Lucignano, Marciano della Chiana, Civitella in Valdichiana, Monte San Savino, Castiglion Fiorentino and Arezzo.

The land for the cultivation of Aglione must be loose, sandy, medium texture, without water stagnation but moist underground. Before sowing the soil should be overthrown, to bury each crop residues.

The planting of clove (clove-material to be chosen vegetative reproduction and selected) is performed from the beginning of October until December; distanced taken to the planting are highly variable from 30-35 cm in the row and 40-45 cm between rows at a density of about 7,000 bulbils / ha; this sixth of planting allows that the leaves are at a distance such as to allow a natural ventilation and so avoiding the onset of fungal diseases, such as botrytis, in the leaf.

The sowing depth is 5/10 cm, variable according to the texture of the soil, and the clove are to be placed according to the polarity, in such a way as to favor the germination. The crop requires nitrogen inputs (60-65 kg / year), phosphorus and potassium (35-60 kg / year) to varying degrees depending on the residue levels in the soil of these nutrients. While growing weeds must be eliminated, with hoeing to be performed at least 3 times in the month of February and also encouraging the development of the bulb in the ground, and when the plant begins to sprout has to be severed the inflorescence.

The Aglione's harvest takes place between June and July, as soon as the leaves begin to yellow so that the bulb (head) does not break or rot. Once harvested the product should be stored in a dry, well-ventilated and shaded away from direct sunlight. The Aglione's of Valdichiana story dating back to Etruscan.

The Aglione the Valdichiana is also present on the island of Giglio, because in 1544 the pirate Khayr al-Din, called Barbarossa, plundered the island of Giglio and killed anyone who opposed and deported as slaves, more than 700 gigliesi. Following the Medici family repopulated the island with people from families of
Valdichiana, like that of Giudici Francesco, and in 1686 the family Stefani, from Arezzo in Valdichiana [http://www.isoladelgiglio.net/storia_famiglie.php]. On the occasion of the repopulation wanted by the Grand Duke of Tuscany the Valdichiana families led, among their belongings in tow, the Aglione's of Valdichiana cloves .

With the industrialization of the 60 it has lost the tradition of cultivating Aglione the Valdichiana, but small outbreaks at the household level are maintained. Think, for example, that for many the Aglione of Valdichiana is a common garlic larger while it is not so.