Home Cuisine Landscape and nature Architecture and art Sport Accommodation Visiting Gadget Learning Arts and Crafts The way we were Organized tours Home Cucina Paesaggio e natura Arti e Mestieri Sport Accoglienza Visitare Gadget A scuola di... Architettura e arte Come eravamo Tour organizzati
Italiano
English
Landscape and nature
Landscape and nature
Visita il Mugello, culla dei Medici, a due passi da Firenze e le bellezze toscane
 

Herbs and flowers

 

 
 

Portulaca, Portulaca oleracea

Family of portulaceae

It is a small plant with pulpy leaves and stems, and it is found in Summer in well drained soils or like an infesting plant in gardens. The plant is edible and it is used to prepare salads together with other herbs, or to cook minestrone, or it can be boiled and then sautéed with butter and oil.

Use
In past years the plant was valuable because of its refreshing and astringent properties, especially for the mouth. In the Renaissance it was used to prepare "panzanella". It was able to enrich with its flavour poor bread leftovers, and for this reason a famous Florentine sculpture praised it in a nursery rhyme.

Picture and text of Tebaldo Lorini
Translated by Gianna Toni
 
 
 
   
 
return to top of page
   
       
  Terra di Toscana

© All rights reserved Polimedia di Laura Fumoni
Via Landucci 39 - 50136 - Firenze - P.IVA 06790950486 - REA C.C.I.A.A. FIRENZE N. 656544
Press registration n. 5528 10/11/2006 - Editor Polimedia

 
  Advertising | About us | Contacts | Site search | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie policy