Flavours of the past: “Pestàt” of Fagagna

Food

5 December 2018

Food

Flavours of the past: “Pestàt” of Fagagna

It is not clear who invented Pestat (a pork lard and vegetable sausage) but one thing is for sure, it originated here in the hills of Fagagna and in San Daniele del Friuli, about 15 km north-west of Udine.

Indeed, in the same places that I now call "my home". "Cumbinin, cumbinin" is one of the first words I learned when I arrived in Friuli-Venezia Giulia from Apulia many years ago. As I began to merge with the Friulians in their daily hard work, I learned that this expression conceals the true spirit of the Friulians. It means that no problem or difficulty cannot be overcome. A solution exists for everything and we will find it.
And I imagine that Pestàt originated in the same way many centuries ago.

Today, it is very easy for us. We only have to go to the supermarket and we can find everything we need. But in the past, when the vegetable garden was not able to provide any produce during the winter months, (and winters were really very long, everyone tells me) what was the solution? "Cumbinin"... someone must have said. And then Pestàt arrived! The idea turned out to be an excellent and tasty solution, allowing the Friulians to eat vegetables also during the long cold months.

Today, the tradition of this sausage made of vegetables and pork lard, and a Slow Food product, is still only alive in Fagagna. It is one of the most beautiful municipalities in Italy, situated in the heart of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, halfway between the Alps and the sea. A beautiful place surrounded by green hills, which, a few years ago, I chose as my home after a life spent in a city.
Pestàt can be considered "halfway", like Fagagna. It features a combination of flavours comprising 50% pork lard with spices and vegetables making up the other half. Where could it have originated if not here in the middle land of Friuli-Venezia Giulia? The right ingredient to add flavour and taste to soups, sauces, mirepoix and everything that our creativity at the stove allows us. And what flavour!
Pestàt is a sausage steeped in local history, culture and traditions, which have successfully led to an excellent solution for using the less prestigious parts of the pig. I soon learned that "dal purcit no se bute vie nuie" i.e. no part of a pig goes to waste. For me, cooking today with Pestàt is like delving into the past of the territory where I live. A past that is very different from the present. Bygone days that deserve to be visited now and again, at least through its fragrances and flavours that this land can still provide us.
fvgtaste fagagna pestat slowfood
We know Pestàt of Fagagna. A gourmet speciality of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and also a Slow Food product.