HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The term Alb-Leisa firstly means the ''Öko-Erzeugergemeinschaft Alb-Leisa'' (engl. "Eco-producer association Alb-Leisa"), secondly a trade name and thirdly traditional varieties of lentils from the
Swabian Jura The Swabian Jura (german: Schwäbische Alb , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of ...
, Germany. "Leisa" means lentils in
Swabian Swabian or Schwabian, or ''variation'', may refer to: * the German region of Swabia (German: "''Schwaben''") * Swabian German, a dialect spoken in Baden-Württemberg in south-west Germany and adjoining areas (German:"''Schwäbisch''") * Danube S ...
. The Alb-Leisa was included in the
Ark of Taste The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distin ...
at Slow Food Deutschland in 2012. There are currently 70 small farms in this group. The marketing of Alb-Leise is done by ''Lauteracher Alb-Feld-Früchte'', formerly known as ''Biohof Mammel''. Especially in the region
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
and
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
, but also via webshops.


History

The originally Near Eastern lentil is one of the oldest cultivated plants. In 1908, the daily newspaper Tübinger Chronik reported an increase in cultivation on the Alb. Until the 1950s, the Swabian Jura and its surroundings were the centre of lentil cultivation in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. After that there was no lentil cultivation in this region anymore, it had become uneconomical. In 1985, the Biohof Mammel in Lauterach started again with the cultivation of lentils. Demand rose slowly. From 2001 onwards, other organic farms were also interested in lentil cultivation. That is why the ''Öko-Erzeugergemeinschaft Alb-Leisa'' (Eco-producer association Alb-Leisa) was founded.


Renaissance of the Swabian lentil varieties

The traditional Swabian lentil varieties disappeared completely by 1985. There was no seed available at all. For this reason, the organic farm Mammel and later the producer's association cultivated the French '' Le Puy green lentil''. In 2006, in the gene bank of the Wawilow Institute in
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
the classic Swabian lentil varieties have been accidentally discovered and brought back to Germany. Since then they have been grown again on the Swabian Jura. At present, three genotypes of these lentils are used in the Swabian Jura, which are protected by the producers' association under the name of Alb-Leisa. These are the classic Swabian varieties of lentils of the breeder Fritz Späth from Haigerloch: "Späths Alb-Leisa small", "Späths Alb-Leisa large" and "Späths Heller-Leisa". "Späths Alblinse small" is relatively small and dark brown to black marbled. It was put back on the market for the first time in autumn 2011. Three genotypes are currently cultivated under the accession numbers "K-2076" (small-seeded "Späths Alb-Leisa I") and "K-2106" (large-seeded "Späths Alb-Leisa") (VIR 2008a). They are protected under the name Alb-Leisa of the producer group. The producer group or the farmer who grows the lentils takes care of the variety care and seed production. There are hardly any professional seed propagators here.Horneburg, Bernd; Frischer Wind für eine alte Kulturpflanze – Linsen im ökologischen Anbau, ihre Geschichte und Verwendung; Göttingen 2003, 1. Auflage, Dreschflegel e.V. und Institut für Pflanzenbau und Pflanzenzüchtung der Universität Göttingen, Seite 33 Since the old varieties were no longer available, the French Puy lentils were used, which are suitable for the soil and climate of the Swabian Jura and are sold as "dark green marbled lentils". It was the most produced variety in 2011.


See also

*
Brenntar BrenntarSource: ''Alb-Leisa'' on Alemannic Wikipedia


External links


Website of the Erzeugergemeinschaft Alb-Leisa


(bioland.de) * Lentil Edible legumes Food product brands German brands German cuisine Swabian cuisine Organic farming in Germany Sustainable agriculture {{germany-cuisine-stub