Spaghetti agretti

By Jesper Sjödahl

When we ran our shop Speceributik, we were gladly surprised in the interest and liking people took to a rather obscure green called agretti. Leading up to the season each year, people would ask for it on a weekly basis, and once it arrived to the shop we would have to explain the chive-looking bundles to curious shoppers on a daily basis.

Agretti (or as it’s also known in English: Monk’s beard) is a salt-tolerant shrub that can be found growing wild in sandy soils, often close to the sea, in many areas of the Mediterranean. In parts of Italy, the plant is cultivated with a season stretching from winter to early spring, and has long been part of the kitchens of Rome and further south where it’s sold in beautiful bundles, wrapped in paper with the roots still intact on the plant. In my part of the world, I’ve come across more and more farmers growing this delicious plant, with harvests instead taking place at the beginning or end of summer.