|
Rarely does a geographic area have such a strong link with a product as the Upper Vastese does with ventricina. In the past, the cured meat was prepared with pork from black or red pigs, but these days the more common white pigs are used. Once the animal has been slaughtered, the finest cuts (thighs, loin, shoulder) are set aside and carefully deboned and trimmed, removing the hardest, most fibrous parts (those adhering to the bones), then cut into small pieces of 2 or 3 centimeters across. These are left to rest overnight, then seasoned with salt and mild ground chili pepper in equal quantities, and sometimes with wild fennel and a sprinkling of pepper. The chili comes from small, sweet, red peppers from Altino, which are dried for a few days before being selected, opened, cleaned and crushed in a mortar.
|
