Agretti is commonly used in English to refer to the edible leaves of Salsola soda. It is also known in Italy as Barba Di Frate (Friar’s Beard) and in English-speaking countries as saltwort. Agretti is a winter green and should be started early indoors or in Autumn. The seed is notorious for poor germination at about 30% to 40% standard, much like rosemary. Though the plant is often grown in saltwater irrigated land in the Mediterranean Basin, it will grow without salt water. Salsola soda is harvested in bunches when small, or cropped regularly to encourage new growth when mature. It is most commonly boiled and eaten as a leafy vegetable; the recommendation is to cook it in boiling water until the leaves soften, and to serve while some bite remains. It can also be eaten raw. When consumed in this manner it is said to “taste grassy and slightly salty with a pleasant crunchy texture.”
Salsola soda is sometimes confused with a plant known in Japan as Okahijiki (“Land Seaweed”), which is actually the species Salsola komarovi. The harvested leaves of the two species have a similar appearance.
Salsola soda has also been studied as a “biodesalinating companion plant” for crops such as tomatoes and peppers when they are grown in saline soils. The Salsola soda extracts enough sodium from the soil to improve the growth of the crop plant, and better crop yields result despite the competition of the two plants for the remaining minerals from the soil.
Some people claim that this dish was invented in Teramo but there is little evidence to support this claim. Others believe it originated near Rome in the Region of Lazio. Whatever the source, it is quite tasty. People in Valle San Giovanni often visit Casale in order to taste this Italian delicacy. Those people lucky enough to live near Pennsville, NJ go to the Italian Kitchen or the Roman Pantry in Carneys Point for this dining sensation.
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