Cured meats from North of Italy

There are few gastronomic specialties such as cured meats, that still represent faithfully biodiversity, history and regional traditions. In Italy there are almost 700 different kinds of cured meats: a cultural heritage that is unique in the world. Even today, in the best cases, modern technology does not betray the original identity of the products, while adapting them to modern nutritional needs. Let’s venture, therefore, in this ideal tour of Italy to discover some of our own traditional cured meats.

Teutenne is an ancient cured meat made ​​from cow udders, born in times of subsistence economy, when nothing was wasted. The fresh udders, well drained from milk, are made rest for about 20 days in large containers called doils. Alternate layers of the udders to other of herbs (usually bay leaves, rosemary, sage, juniper berries, garlic, thyme), spices and salt. After the tanning phase in brine the udders are hung out to dry, then steamed in a special mold. The result is a very compact mousse, to be cut into thin slices, the flavor is incredibly delicate and aromatic.

Cooked Salami: the mixture is coarsely ground, abundantly watered of red wine, usually Barbera or Dolcetto, then flavored with mint, savory, cinnamon, pepper and cloves. Everything is stuffed into beef casings and boiled on a slow fire. Very tasty, in Piedmont is produced in the provinces of Turin, Cuneo, Asti and Alessandria with many variants.

Head in box: diffused throughout Liguria, this specialty is based on the use of all meat derived from the head and shoulder of pork added of rind. After a prolonged boiling in salted water, the meat is chopped with a knife. The rind is cooked separately and then chopped very finely several times with the addition of the broth. Once obtained a sort of grainy cream, are added coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace and pistachios in varying proportions according to the customs of the area.The meat chopped finely with the knife is mixed, still hot, with the spicy cream, and then the mixture is pressed into molds and cooled for about two days.

Goose salami “ecumenical.” What has of ecumenical salami? Simple: it can be consumed by all the faithful observant dietary precepts, be they Christians, Jews or Muslims. We use only the lean meat of geese that were born from the intersection between the races Embden and Romagnola, chopped with a knife with the skin, tanned with salt, spices and natural flavors, and then bagged in the skin of the goose neck, hand-stitched. It must mature from three to five months before being brought to the table.

Selchkarre: beautiful South Tyrolean traditional cured meat. The pork loin, still on the bone, is parboiled in salted water for 24 hours with juniper, pepper, garlic, mace and allspice. Once dried, it is smoked with beech wood to a temperature of at least 40 °. When it is golden, is consumed in thin slices with potatoes and sauerkraut.

Pitina: made ​​mainly with sheep and goat meat, today it is often embellished by the addition of lard and pork meat. The meat is minced and cured with a mixture of spices that can change in a few variations, but that in principle involves the use of garlic, pepper, salt, wine and herbs such as rosemary, fennel and juniper berries. Meat is formed into faggots that are passed into corn flour and then smoked on grills with fragrant and resinous essences. Then there is a period of maturation, which varies according to the size of the meatball. Once the faggots were eaten soaked in polenta’s broth, but today, thanks to the softer of the pork, they can also be eaten fresh, seared in butter, vinegar or wine.

Ossocòlo: occurs in many areas of Veneto and was once considered the most valuable among the cured meats, preserved for important events. The meat used comes exclusively from the muscles that run along the vertebrae of the neck of the pig. They are flavored with cinnamon and cloves, salt, then left to rest. In the meanwhile, prepare a mixture of minced meat. At this point the ossocòlo is wrapped completely with the milled mixture, and then stuffed into a natural casing and put in hot water, where it is massaged to compact the meat and drilled to avoid formation of air bubbles. Once dry, matures for a minimum of ten months. When you cut it, you can still see the muscle mass darker in the center, surrounded by a layer of minced meat, more rosy.

Cooked shoulder of San Secondo. It seems it was already famous in the twelfth century. The process involves the use of lean pork shoulder on the bone with a piece of fat equal to 30% of the total weight. Once salt is put in brine for fifteen days, at a temperature of about 4 ° with spices and white wine. It is then cleaned, salted a second time and bagged in a pig’s bladder to season with herbs for a further three months. Only then is cooked in wine and water at 80 ° C. Tasty and fragrant.