In Vessalico, a tiny municipality in the Upper Arroscia Valley in the hinterland of Albenga and, in particular, in the higher and less inhabited hamlets, an ancient garlic is grown.

Called Vessalico red, it has an intense and slightly spicy flavor and, above all, an extreme shelf life. The farmers in the area have handed down the bulbs for generations, together with the cultivation and packaging techniques. The heads of garlic are not cut from the plant, nor removed from the tuft, but packaged in long braids (ropes): the heads, dried and selected based on size, are braided in pairs of two.

An operation that can only be carried out in the evening and morning, when the garlic is moist and the leaves are not breaking. The uncut plants, kept in the shade, continue to nourish the garlic and keep it healthy and fragrant even eight or ten months after harvesting.

Vessalico garlic is a fundamental ingredient for a traditional dish of local gastronomy: ajè, a mayonnaise seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and garlic crushed in a mortar, one of the many heirs of the medieval garlic sauce.