Virtu Díaz, cook at Vedruna Tàrrega school, has launched a didactic box to vindicate the role of legumes in the everyday diet. The initiative takes place in the educational center itself in the capital of Urgell and seeks to bring this food closer to the students in a practical, visual, and participatory way.
The project is born after his participation in the campaign A Tàrrega, dilluns llegums, promoted from the CAP de Tàrrega. From that experience, Díaz decided to convert his interest in legumes into a pedagogical tool designed for the classroom.
"We are in a country where few legumes are consumed, and it is necessary to give them more visibility" - Virtu Díaz, cook of Vedruna Tàrrega
A box with varieties, play and creative cooking
The so-called magic box already gathers more than twenty varieties of legumes, although Díaz's personal collection exceeds forty. The activity has been applied with students from the second cycle of Primary and also Secondary from Vedruna Tàrrega.
The proposal is articulated through a game of cards with which students must identify each legume, discover where it comes from and know its uses in the kitchen. The objective is to broaden the view on a product that, often, is limited to a few known recipes.
In the box there are varieties such as the verdina, the black pea from Berguedà and the peanut. Regarding the latter, Díaz defines it as the great unknown because many people do not know that it is also a legume.
"The students discover that there are many more legumes than they imagined and are surprised by all the possibilities they have" - Virtu Díaz, cook at Vedruna Tàrrega
More prominence in school menus
The initiative gains traction at a time when Royal Decree 315/2025 has come into effect, which regulates school menus and advocates for healthier eating with a greater presence of legumes. In that context, the work promoted from Vedruna Tàrrega fits with the line of promoting more balanced eating habits from early ages.
Díaz plans to expand the content of the box with hydrated samples so that participants can observe how the size, texture, and appearance of legumes change after cooking. The activity is also accompanied by photographs of dishes prepared by herself, designed to break stereotypes and open new options in daily cooking.
From the savory dish to the sweet cookbook
Among the proposals that are part of the recipe book are chickpea bombs filled with cheese, black bean burgers, red lentil chips, and also sweet preparations such as bean cookies or chickpea cake with chocolate.
"Many people are unaware that legumes can also be used in sweet recipes or in more innovative formats" - Virtu Díaz, cook at Vedruna Tàrrega
The cook maintains that legumes have been relegated for years and defends giving them a new dimension. She is open to taking the project to other educational centers, playrooms, community centers, entities, and residences, in a proposal that has already aroused the interest of companies in the sector for its creative and innovative approach.
Díaz continues expanding his/her collection whenever he/she can. He/She explains that each trip includes a stop at markets to discover new varieties and admits that his/her current box has already become too small, with a waiting list of legumes pending incorporation. In parallel, he/she shares part of his/her recipes and of this informative work through his/her Instagram profile, @la_cocina_de_virtu.