30 December 2021, Nizza Monferrato (Piedmont), Italy - The hunchback cardoon, an essential ingredient in one of the symbols of Piedmontese gastronomy, bagna cauda, a boiling-hot sauce of garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and anchovies served with vegetables. The cultivation of this cardoon variety follows a centuries-old tradition in the territory, sown in May in the sandy soil along the Belbo River.