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 ( , 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 Swabia. It is part of th ...

, Germany. "Leisa" means lentils in Swabian. 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 states of Germany, 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 i ...

and

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. 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 A gene bank is a type of biorepository that is used across the world to store the genetic material of animals, plants, and other organisms. It preserves their genetic information in the form of reproductive material like seeds, sperm, eggs, emb ...

of the Vavilov Institute in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

the classic Swabian lentil varieties were 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 Haigerloch () is a town in the north-western part of the Swabian Alb in Germany. Geography Geographical location Haigerloch lies at between 430 and 550 metres elevation in the valley of the Eyach (Neckar), Eyach river, which forms two loops in a ...

: "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.

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

History

Renaissance of the Swabian lentil varieties

See also

External links