The Grain of the Gods

Habit: Annual herbaceous plant with a single stem (culm called "stem"), thick, fleshy, and of variable height, rarely producing secondary stems (tillering).

Root: Fasciculate root system. It is divided into seminal roots, secondary (or adventitious) roots, and aerial roots; the latter develop from the first 2-3 nodes above ground and perform a fundamental function of mechanically anchoring the stem to the soil.

Leaves: Large, alternate, distributed symmetrically on both sides of the stem starting from the nodes. They consist of a sheath that envelops the stem and an expanded lamina.

Flowers: Monoecious plant (separate male and female flowers on the same plant) with anemophilous (wind-pollinated) pollination. The male inflorescence is a terminal panicle located at the apex of the stem (commonly called the "plume"), consisting of spikelets that house two flowers with three stamens each. The female inflorescence is a spike (spadix) located in the leaf axils, consisting of a woody central axis (the "cob") onto which pairs of spikelets are inserted, arranged in parallel longitudinal rows. The female flowers have very long, threadlike stigmas (the "silks" or "corn beard") that emerge from the protective bracts (the "husk") to capture pollen.

Fruit: A caryopsis (dry, indehiscent fruit), commonly called kernel. In Agostinello corn, the ear has an average of 14 rows of kernels. The kernel is medium-sized, with a characteristic reddish-yellow color and a fracture that varies from glassy to powdery depending on the starch composition.

The Agostinello grain, characterized by glassy yellow-orange kernels, is stone-ground to produce a rustic, fragrant flour that preserves the kernel's germ intact. Its flavor is distinguished by its intense and markedly sweet flavor, with toasted and hazelnut notes. In the kitchen, the grain's glassy texture gives preparations a grainy texture that maintains a pleasant chewiness. It is a mainstay of Molise peasant cuisine, the protagonist of two traditional dishes.

Pizza de Grandinije (Granone Pizza) with leaves is an unleavened flatbread kneaded only with boiling salted water and oil. Historically, it was baked on the hearth under an iron pan (the testo) covered with ash. Once baked, it is torn by hand and combined with blanched wild vegetables (chicory, cabbage, or turnip greens, known as "le foglie"), sautéed in a pan with oil, garlic, and chili pepper.

Polenta Molisana is prepared by sprinkling the flour into boiling water, cooking it in a copper cauldron (the caccavo) for about 50 minutes, stirring it with a wooden stick (the cannello). It is traditionally served on a wooden pastry board and topped with a tomato sauce with fennel sausage and pork ribs, finished with a sprinkling of Matese pecorino cheese.

History and Popular Culture

In Molise, Agostinello corn represents the symbol of resilience and peasant ingenuity. Introduced into hilly and mountainous crop rotations to cope with frequent famines, it owes its traditional name to the month of August, the time when the ear reaches phenological maturity significantly earlier than other, later-ripening varieties. In the rural communities of Molise's hinterland (particularly in the Biferno Valley and Upper Molise), the harvest was a true community celebration known as "la scartocciatura" (lo scartucciaturo in the local dialect).

Families gathered in the farmyards to manually remove the outer husks (cartocci) from the ears; the ears were then woven into bundles and hung from balconies or under the roofs of stables to complete the natural drying process in the sun and wind. Abandoned since the 1960s in favor of more productive commercial hybrids, this ecotype has been brought back from extinction thanks to the work of custodian farmers.