Among the products the pork butchers so skillfully prepare, mention must be made of:
Among the products the pork butchers so skillfully prepare, mention must be made of:
Mazzafegate sweet or salty liver sausages. The name comes from “mezzo fegato or half liver” because of the ingredients, but elsewhere in Umbria they are called “ammazza fegato” or “finish off the liver” since the intense flavor of the other ingredients overwhelms that of the liver. Sweet or salty, they consist of minced liver, spleen, heart, lung, tongue, a portion of fresh jowl with the addition of a small quantity of fat, all seasoned with orange peel, salt and pepper.
Budelluzzi(or budellacci) a smoked product made from the intestines of the pig.
Salsicciottothe name refers to “salsiccia” (sausage, made with a similar type of mixture and is the term applied to sausages produced in the home or by traditional pork-butchers).
This medium-size sausage, fine or medium-grained, is cured for 3-4 months and is served when it is not yet completely dry and hard. Traditionally it is brought to the table for Easter and eaten together with the cheese bread.
CotechinoThis classical boiled sausage is made from the lean parts of the pig (cutlets near the neck, the meat picked from bones) and pigskin coarsely ground together.
This mixture is seasoned with spices and wine, according to the local recipe, and then filled into a fairly large gut casing and closed at either end. After a few days in a temperate place, it is hung in a cool dry room for at least a month after which it is ready to be eaten.
CapocolloThis cylinder-shaped salami is wrapped in butcher’s paper and tied with a string. It is very tasty and is characterized by the marbling of the meat. When cut it is reddish veined with fat. This product is typical for Easter and is eaten with the traditional Easter cheese bread.
Lombettothis lower part of the pig’s loin is almost completely lean. It is prepared like the capocollo but is smaller.
Ventresca This is a sort of rolled bacon in which the belly of the eviscerated pig is seasoned with a mixture of spices including garlic, pepper and salt. It is then rolled up, wrapped and tied, and hung up for around three months. The “flat” ventresca is cured without being rolled up since the pigskin has not been removed.
Baffo or GuancialeThe name refers to the jowls of the pig which are salted with the pigskin attached, and are then seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper. The baffo can be eaten by itself or used as seasoning in the kitchen.
SalsicceThese small cylindrical sausages are tied into “links” which favors preservation and make them extremely practical to eat. When the pig is processed the lean trimmings - pig shoulder, ham, belly – are ground up and mixed together and seasoned with salt and pepper before being filled into the casing. They can be eaten fresh or preserved in oil or air dried for at least 20 days.
SanguinaccioThe blood of the pig is mixed with boiled must, a few cups of strong coffee, chocolate (or cocoa), sugar, toasted minced almonds, orange peel, raisins, lemon, cinnamon and salt which stops the blood from coagulating.
Lardo and Strutto One of the most important phases in processing the pig is the salvaging of the fat and its preservation.
The softer fat is rendered, filtered and stored in bladders or glass or terra cotta containers which are then kept in a cool place. This type of fat, known as “strutto”, the equivalent of lard, was used above all for frying. On the other hand the compact layer of fat attached to the pigskin on the animal’s back, and known as “lardo”, is cut unto rather large square or rectangular chunks and either salted or smoked. The equivalent is salt pork.
Friccioli They are also known as “ciccioli” or cracklings and are the small pieces that remain when the fat is rendered. As it melts, they sink to the bottom and are used to make excellent pizzas.
Coppa or coppa di testa The preparation of coppa, pig’s head brawn or headcheese, has deep roots in the territory and was a way to use the less noble parts of the pig. To be noted that in other parts of Italy coppa is a salted dried salami, rather like prosciutto.
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