Ventricina
Encyclopedia
Ventricina is a delicatessen
item commonly found in the Abruzzo
Region of central Italy
. It is most similar to what Americans refer to as "cold cuts
". Traditionally made using relatively low grade, very fatty meat cuts pig
and encasing them in the animal's intestines
or stomach
while they cure. There are two principal types of ventricina: those of the area in and around the city of Teramo
, and others coming from the area of Vasto
.
, stomach, or intestines of the pig. More recently, synthetic casings have been employed or the mixture is simply stored in glass containers. Ventricina is often hung to cure
in a cool dark place for several months before it is eaten. Ventricina teramana (that from the area around Teramo in Abruzzo) is most often eaten when it is young and has been allowed to age only a few months. Many people spread this delicacy on an open slice of bread. If desired the bread slices can be placed on the grill or in the oven for a period of time, thereby making a kind of bruschetta
.
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
item commonly found in the Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
Region of central 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 is most similar to what Americans refer to as "cold cuts
Cold Cuts
Cold Cuts is a 2002 live album by English acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. It was their first live album to be released in a gatefold/digipack case...
". Traditionally made using relatively low grade, very fatty meat cuts pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
and encasing them in the animal's intestines
Casing (sausage)
Casing, sausage casing, or sausage skin is the material that encloses the filling of a sausage. Casings are divided into two categories, natural and artificial...
or stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
while they cure. There are two principal types of ventricina: those of the area in and around the city of Teramo
Teramo
Teramo is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo.The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines and the Adriatic coast...
, and others coming from the area of Vasto
Vasto
Vasto is a town and comune on the Adriatic coast of the Province of Chieti in southern Abruzzo, Italy. The population is now just over 40,000.-History:According to tradition, the town was founded by Diomedes, the Greek hero...
.
Teramo ventricina
This version of ventricina is made from pork meat with added pork fat, the latter amounting to approximately 50-60% by weight of the finished product. The meat and fat are finely ground together and various spices are then added to the mixture. Most often these include garlic, salt, ground black and white pepper, hot and bell peppers, orange peel, rosemary, bell pepper paste, and fennel seeds. Other spices are sometimes added according to the taste of the producer. Traditionally, this mixture would be encased in the bladderPig bladder
Pig bladder is the bladder of a domestic pig, similar to the human urinary bladder. Today, this hollow organ has various applications in medicine, and in traditional cuisines and customs...
, stomach, or intestines of the pig. More recently, synthetic casings have been employed or the mixture is simply stored in glass containers. Ventricina is often hung to cure
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...
in a cool dark place for several months before it is eaten. Ventricina teramana (that from the area around Teramo in Abruzzo) is most often eaten when it is young and has been allowed to age only a few months. Many people spread this delicacy on an open slice of bread. If desired the bread slices can be placed on the grill or in the oven for a period of time, thereby making a kind of bruschetta
Bruschetta
Bruschetta is an antipasto from Italy whose origin dates to at least the 15th century. It consists of roasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper...
.