Polignano a mare is one of the wonders of the Apulian Adriatic coast, just south of Bari. An extremely suggestive place, rich in colors, shapes and fragrances.

Among the innumerable reasons for a visit there is certainly good food, especially when it is based on the wonderful local products, one above all the carrot from Polignano, a Slow Food presidium . But why is this carrot so precious?

The colorful carrot

The first thing that catches your eye when you come across a nice basket of Polignano carrots is the variety of colors .

These colored carrots are orange, but also of various shades of yellow and purple . By cutting them and observing their cross-section, we notice that inside the color becomes softer and more nuanced.

Why aren't Polignano carrots just orange like all the others? Because their seed is selected by farmers and therefore does not always have the color stabilized by seed companies.

Every year, in fact, farmers choose the best plants and plant them in small, separate lands, to then select the seeds of the most prosperous ones, regardless of color. Then replant them from August 15th to September 15th, obtaining a product rich in nuances.

Why eat Polignano carrot?

There are so many reasons to taste the carrots of Polignano.

The taste is particularly fresh and characterized by a greater flavor than that of commercial carrots.

As for the nutritional characteristics, the carrot of Polignano boasts a content of carotenes up to three and a half times higher than that of the common varieties.

The purple carrots also have a good content of anthocyanins, powerful natural antioxidants of which all vegetables and red and purple fruits are rich.

Finally, the sugar content (glucose, fructose and sucrose) is considerably lower than that of the common carrot (i n average the difference is around 22%).

As a result, the Polignano carrot is also less caloric. Despite this characteristic, its sweetness index (ie the perception of sweet taste on the palate) is comparable with that of other carrots. Proof of this is the fact that it is often used also in the preparation of jams .

Another reason to choose the Polignano carrot is represented by the cultivation and harvesting techniques, which still follow sustainable methods, to safeguard biodiversity .

Harvest and cultivation of the Polignano carrot

The harvest of the Polignano carrot takes place gradually, that is gradually over time, from late November to late spring. This way you can have the product fresh for several months a year.

The product is grown exclusively in a rather restricted area, between 10 and 20 hectares, near Polignano a mare, mainly in the village of San Vito.

Because of this close link with the tradition of the territory, this food has been named Slow Food Presidium .