A tourist in quest of the local flavors of
Modenese cooking will find himself visiting every corner of the
province, for the dairies and the productions centers of preserved
pork products and sausage products are truly part of the scenery.
One of the items whose quality, fame and prestige
sets its stamp on our area is of course Parmigiano Reggiano,
a unique and inimitable product. It has a roundish shape, from 20 to
24 cm high, diameter about 40 cm and it weighs around 38 Kg. The
cheese is straw-colored, cuts in scales, has a strong taste and
possesses excellent nutritional qualities. It takes sixteen litres
of milk to produce a kilo of cheese. The processing involves
following ancient rules in which the cheese-maker plays a
fundamental role.
Prosciutto di Modena (Modena Ham)
and sausage products Local production of sausage products covers the
whole range of the classic delicatessen: cooked meats, pork necks,
cured pork bellies, salami, mortadella and coppa di testa. And of
course Modena ham (DOC) has pride of place. In order to produce good
DOC Modena ham the pigs have to be of the white breed, slaughtered
when in excellent health. The overall duration of the processing,
which may vary slightly depending on the weight of the hams, is
generally at least a year.
All the various stages, including butchery, have
to be certified by means of identification marks and special
certifications. The old culture of pork butchery and the economic
hardships of life in the country prompted the first local butchers
to invent culinary uses for even the least noble parts of the pig.
This gave rise to the famous COTECHINO (cooked salami) and ZAMPONE
(pig's trotter) that have become important dishes on every Modenese
table.
TO FIND OUT MORE:
The whole area around Modena is rich in dairies and firms producing
ham and sausage-products, and these offer interesting opportunities
for visits for tourists curious to see the processing methods and
procedures at first hand. It is also possible to buy the products
directly at these places.
To book a guided tour you can either make direct contact with the
appointed product protection bodies: CONSORZIO DEL PROSCIUTTO DI
MODENA (Modena Ham Consortium) (059/343464 -
stabaco@tin.it)
CONSORZIO DEL
FORMAGGIO PARMIGIANO REGGIANO (Parmigiano - Reggiano Cheese
Consortium) (www.parmigiano-reggiano.it)
or you can contact the area tourist promotion organisations:
Consorzio di Promozione turistica Modenatur (Modenatur Tourist
Promotion Consortium) (www.modenatur.it)
Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori Cittą, Castelli, Ciliegi
(Trail of Wines and Tastes, Cities, Castles and Cherries) (www.cittacastelliciliegi.it)
Strada dei Vini e dei Sapori della Pianura modenese Terre Piane
(Trail of Wines and Tastes of the Modenese River Plain, the
Flatlands) (www.carpidiem.it)
WHERE TO TASTE IT:
If you'd like to experience local cooking with these products in a
traditional festival setting, why not plan a route taking you from
fete to fete, from festival to festival?
All wine-and-food fetes that take place in our province offer the
chance to taste local products, including Parmigiano Reggiano and
ham, however, an exclusive and original event specifically dedicated
to sausage products is the "Festa del Superzampone" (Super-trotter
festival) held each year at
Castelnuovo Rangone on the second Sunday in December. A trotter
worthy of the Guinness Book of Records in terms of weight and size
is cooked and cut into slices for all present. Another specific
festival, the "Sagra del maiale" (Pig fete) is held in December at
Savignano sul Panaro.
TO FIND OUT MORE: