Friuli Venezia Giulia boasts hundreds of years of pig farming and pork-butchering tradition. Indeed, the local culture of the pig (or purcìt) is almost sacred, a perfect synthesis of know-how and respect for the land that grows such extraordinary produce, such as the famous
prosciutto di San Daniele, Friulian salami, rolled pancetta, soppressa, pestàt di Fagagna and the typical musetto.
Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP, one of the world's best-known Italian products of excellence, embodies the unique microclimate of the Friulian hills, where the cool air of the Alps meets the sea breeze of the Adriatic. Its sweet and aromatic flavour, unmistakable aroma and softness are the result of a long maturing process that combines experience, tradition and nature. Another distinctive product is the
pestàt di Fagagna, a peculiar conserve-condiment created to preserve the aromas and flavours of seasonal herbs and vegetables in pork fat.
Not to be outdone are the typical cured meats from the Friulian mountains. In the Carnic valleys and foothills, the pork products are full of personality, using smoking methods that originate in ancient kitchens with burning fogolârs. Products such as the inimitable speck from Sauris,
pitina IGP - a kind of smoked meatball made of mutton or beef covered in cornflour - and the salame d'oca from eastern Friuli testify to the influence of Central European culture on these borderlands.
