A sweet summer veggie, very used by Sicilians.
Origin
Tenerumi are the leaves and sprouts of the Snake Squash, a very particular variety that can be longer than 2 meters! This vegetable has very ancient origins, and thanks to some discoveries, it seems that they were existing already 7000 years ago. The geographical origin is uncertain, but it seems that it came from Tropical Asia to Europe, thanks to commercial vessels trades. It was very used by Phoenicians as an ingredient and in India and Africa, tendrils were used to make music instruments. Very famous in icily, it is usually picked in the summer, from June till September.
Cookit
Tenerumi have a sweet and delicate consistency and in the Sicilian cuisine they are combined with pasta and sea urchin soups. It is a summer veggie, with refreshing and diuretic properties. You can eat it boiled or fried with garlic and oil, or also in a French omelet and pies. In Apulia they are perfect with orecchiette, in the dish called “orecchiette di grano arso con cium du cucozz”.
Did you know
Tenerumi are famous especially in Sicily, but in the whole South of Italy! If you got to the market in Sicily, ask for “càddi ri cucùzza”, “talli di zucca” in Campania or “ciùmm du cùcozz” in Apulia. Here, chef Pietro Zito, made tenerumi the main ingredient of his cuisine, for a re-evaluation of waste ingredients.
