Carota Giallo-Viola di Tiggiano

This purple carrot with yellow stripes has been cultivated around the city of Tiggiano since ancient times, and it is still very popular thanks to its juicy, crunchy texture and fragrant flavor. Sometimes called pestanaca or carota di sant'Ippazio (named after the patron saint of Tiggiano), it is a pretty sensitive variety that requires particularly rich soil with high phosphate content, fertilization, and irrigation twice a day.

It should be hand-picked to avoid unnecessary damage, then consumed in a day or two because it loses its turgidity very quickly. Carota giallo-viola is a key ingredient in many local specialties such as ravioli with pestanaca or pestanaca cake, and the best opportunity to try all those delicacies is during the annual Festival of pestanaca, held every January in Tiggano.