Their ancestors arrived in Liguria in the 17th century from Spain and found an ideal habitat in the Nervia valley, the Impero valley and the Argentina valley. Natural selection has produced three different types of beans grown in as many small municipalities: Badalucco, Conio and Pigna. The most suitable areas are in the highest points, where the soils are loose, well drained and there is limey spring water, rich in mineral salts. Harvesting takes place from mid-September to mid-October. Among the beans from Badalucco, Conio and Pigna, the differences between the three types are given mainly by the shape and size and are due to the diversity of the soils, water and microclimates. The legume of Conio is a little larger and kidney-shaped and the other two are smaller and ovoidal. In Badalucco beans are called “rundin” (round). The three are united by the softness and delicacy of the paste. The best way to enjoy them is to boil them, seasoned with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. The procedure involves soaking them for one night beforehand. Then they are boiled in water (35 minutes of cooking from when they begin to boil) with garlic, bay leaf, a few spoonfuls of oil and salt at the end. They are well cooked when the beans are soft but remain consistent and do not fall apart. The tactile sensation on the tongue must be uniform, as if there were no peel.
