Pork is actually a staple food items with the mountain regions of northern Italy, where it’s typically claimed that a perfectly butchered pig ought to go away ‘almost nothing but the oink’ behind. To be a pig is typically all around thirty% Body fat, thrifty locals needed to think of a way to use and preserve this beneficial supply of protein, and the result is Lardo.
Lardo di Colonnata, to offer it its whole name, is a delicacy generated from pork Excess fat in and across the Tuscan mountain town of Colonnata. Fortunately for enthusiasts of cured meat, it’s not only a frugal means of preserving pork fat over Wintertime – it’s delectable far too!
It’s created in huge vats generally known as conche, fashioned from marble quarried within the close by ‘white mountain’ of Cararra, that happen to be first liberally rubbed with garlic. Upcoming, levels of pork Unwanted fat, salt, in addition to a Unique mix of herbs and spices are added until finally the vats are comprehensive. The conche are then sealed with a wood lid and remaining in great mountain caves for six months or for a longer time to mature while in the clean up air.
Following the maturation time is more than, the conche are opened to expose a silky-smooth, meltingly tender ‘meat’ which may be eaten in A lot precisely the same way as Parma Ham or other prosciutto.
When Lardo is usually utilized to continue to keep roasted meats moist by putting a thin layer about the skin, It's also scrumptious simply just sliced thinly and eaten with bread, olives, and a very good additional virgin olive oil as Element of an antipasto training course. It truly is in no way challenging or greasy, and is properly worth striving although the thought of consuming pure fat leaves you a little apprehensive!
Despite the lengthy years of creating Lardo in the standard way, a lot of the examples which you may perhaps discover in your neighborhood deli or keep should have been designed in a way more industrial setting, mostly because of modern day hygiene regulations having precedence about customs and heritage. Gone are classified as the marble conche as well as the mountain air, changed by stainless-steel and Additional info air conditioning.
Even so, readers to the world around Colonnata should be Fortunate and have hold of Lardo designed inside the previous way which has been verified above the centuries – just don’t tell the authorities if you do!