For over a century, the quality Prosciutto di Sauris has never been disputed: the special climate in Sauris, combined with the expert smoking process, has made this product rapidly expand from having a strictly regional small-scale production, to entering the Italian and foreign markets. In order to meet the demand for this product, the production capacity has significantly increased in the new millennium. This has benefited the marketing of all typical products: in addition to the PGI ham, there is speck, ossocollo, salami, pancetta, lard, cotechino and sausages. Prosciutto di Sauris is a salty raw ham that is smoked and aged for at least ten months. It is produced exclusively in the municipality of Sauris from the thighs of pigs that were born, raised and slaughtered in specific areas of Italian regions. When the ageing process has finished, the Prosciutto di Sauris is sold as a whole, on the bone. It has a delicate flavour and a sweet taste with a mild smoky note.
Pitina was created by the poor country folk as a method of preserving meat during the autumn and winter months in the traditionally poor areas, such as the valleys north of Pordenone: if a chamois or roe deer had been killed or if a sheep or goat had been hurt or was ill (they were too precious to be slaughtered), they needed to find a way to make sure none of the meat was wasted. If was from this need to preserve the meats that the pitina and its variants (peta and petuccia) originated. The variants differ because different herbs are added to the dough and, the peta is also bigger in size. The animal was deboned and finely minced in a pestadora (a hollowed-out wooden stump). Salt, garlic and chopped black pepper was added to the meat. In the Tramontina Valley, an area where the pitina was produced, wild rosemary was also added. In the Cellina Valley, an area where petuccia was produced, wild fennel and juniper berries were added instead.
The peta, a bigger-sized version of the pitina, was typical of Andreis in the Cellina Valley: it was round, slightly flattened, bigger than the pitina and petuccia, and could even weigh up to one kilo. The minced meat was then formed into little balls, sprinkled with cornmeal and smoked on a shelf of a traditional Friulian fireplace. The pitina began to dry out as time passed, and it was then softened in a polenta broth in order to be edible. These days, pitina is refined by adding a proportion of pork fat (lard or meat taken from the neck), which softens the intense, gamey flavour of the venison, goat or mutton. The meat is smoked using different aromatic woods, or sometimes a mix (but beech is the one more prevalently used). Unknown outside Friuli’s mountain foothills, pitina was at risk of disappearing, with fewer and fewer producers making it. The Slow Food Presidium united four pitina producers who are now working together to promote the product in local restaurants and expand the market. The pig meat softens the hircine flavour of the goat or mutton, whilst retaining the intense smoked and fresh herb flavours.
Today, pitina is eaten raw in thin slices, after it has been aged for at least 15 days. It is also very tasty when cooked. It can be seared in vinegar and served with polenta, sautéed with butter and onion, added to potato soup, or still fatto al cao, i.e. cooked in freshly drawn cow’s milk. Finding a wine that pairs well with this product will not be difficult in an area like Friuli Venezia Giulia, which boasts an excellent range of white wines. Its pairings can also extend to Sauvignon or Pinot Grigio, even though the very traditional Friulian wine, ultimately remains the best accompaniment.
