Agretti or Tuscan Roscano (Salsola soda)

Agretti or Tuscan Tuscan (Salsola soda): This bright green plant loves the sea salt and grows in bushes on the brackish soils of the coastal areas, or on the sandy islands that emerge from the water of lagoons. The name Friar's Deard derives from the long filiform leaves that resemble the long beards of the cappuccinos  also chives, but fuller. For the same reason it is also called Negus Beard, another name by which it goes, due to its sharp, saline taste.  Its multiple names depend on the Italian region where it grows,  in Tuscany, for instance, it is known as  “Tuscan vegetable”, and in Romagna “lischi”. It has also been called “sea fennel”, “bacicci”, or “monk’s mustard”.

To be sawn in autumn or late winter, the seeds should be rested on damp soil, not buried

It is a plant with multiple uses; it is edible and is therefore widely used in the kitchen and in the past it was also used  as an important source of soda (sodium carbonate), which was extracted from its ashes after combustion.

In the kitchen The agretti are also the vegetables of the Shabbat. In fact, in the culinary tradition of the Roman Jewish community, agretti are one of the main dishes served for Shabbat, the feast of rest that is observed every Saturday, during the spring period. Although it is not a food part of the Kosher tradition, the use of the friar's beard in the kitchens of the ghettos dates back to ancient times.