Valle d'Aosta Lard d'Arnad
Encyclopedia
Vallée d’Aoste Lard d’Arnad (PDO) is a cured
pork product—specifically a species of lardo
—produced exclusively within the municipal boundaries of the commune
of Arnad
in Aosta Valley, Italy
. It was awarded European Union
protected designation of origin
(PDO) status in 1996 and is promoted by the “Comité pour la valorisation des produits typiques d'Arnad Lo Doil” producers association.
The lardo, one of a number of preserved meat specialties of the region, is produced by curing pieces of fatback
in a brine
aromatised with such herbs and spices as juniper, bay, nutmeg
, sage and rosemary
. The brining
takes place in wooden tubs known as doïls, which may be made of chestnut, oak or larch, and are used solely for this purpose; it is known that Lard d’Arnad has been made for more than two centuries since a 1763 inventory from Arnard Castle refers to four doïls which belonged to its kitchens. It is often eaten with black bread and honey.
The traditional Féhta dou lar (Lardo Festival) is a Sagra held each year on the last Sunday of August. It has become a significant tourist attraction.
Curing (food preservation)
Curing refers to various food preservation and flavoring processes, especially of meat or fish, by the addition of a combination of salt, nitrates, nitrite or sugar. Many curing processes also involve smoking, the process of flavoring, or cooking...
pork product—specifically a species of lardo
Lardo
Lardo is a type of salume made by curing strips of fatback with rosemary and other herbs and spices.The most famous lardo is from the Tuscan hamlet of Colonnata, where lardo has been made since Roman times...
—produced exclusively within the municipal boundaries of the commune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Arnad
Arnad
Arnad is a town and comune in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy....
in Aosta Valley, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It was awarded European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
protected designation of origin
Protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
(PDO) status in 1996 and is promoted by the “Comité pour la valorisation des produits typiques d'Arnad Lo Doil” producers association.
The lardo, one of a number of preserved meat specialties of the region, is produced by curing pieces of fatback
Fatback
Fatback is a cut of meat from a domestic pig. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue under the skin of the back, with or without the skin...
in a brine
Brine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
aromatised with such herbs and spices as juniper, bay, nutmeg
Nutmeg
The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...
, sage and rosemary
Rosemary
Rosemary, , is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs, and is one of two species in the genus Rosmarinus...
. The brining
Brining
In cooking, brining is a process similar to marination in which meat is soaked in brine before cooking.Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked,...
takes place in wooden tubs known as doïls, which may be made of chestnut, oak or larch, and are used solely for this purpose; it is known that Lard d’Arnad has been made for more than two centuries since a 1763 inventory from Arnard Castle refers to four doïls which belonged to its kitchens. It is often eaten with black bread and honey.
The traditional Féhta dou lar (Lardo Festival) is a Sagra held each year on the last Sunday of August. It has become a significant tourist attraction.
External links
- Valle d'Aosta Lard d'Arnad (DOP), Italianmade.com
- Prodotti tradizionali - Jambon de Bosses e Lard d'Arnad, official website of the Aosta Valley region.