Not just any 'sausage'... The 'Petuccia' from Erto and Casso

A sausage with a story...

Once upon a time, among the woods of the Tramontina Valley, in the Carnic Prealps (belonging to the Friulian Dolomites range) and not far from the turquoise Meduna river, tiny villages survived on simple foods. Meat rarely appeared on the menu, unless a particularly lucky hunt provided the villagers with some precious game. Preserving whatever meat they had on hand, was vital, but how did they do it? Smoking it (nah, put those Rizlas away...), turned out ot be the perfect answer for the Tramontina Valley's inhabitants who out of necessity created a delicacy: the 'Pitina'.

'Pitina', 'Peta' and 'Petuccia' are three different, yet similar in origin, cold meats.

To make all of them, the meat would first be pounded and minced in a wooden mortar, then salt, garlic and cracked black pepper would be added. The mixture would then be made into meatballs, rolled in cornflour and put to smoke on the 'shelf' lying inside the fireplace, where wood of a specific pine tree would then be burnt. After being smoked, the pitinas, petas and petuccias would last several months, becoming a staple in the villagers' diet.

So why three names? Well, the inhabitants of the Tramontina Valley, were not the only ones who devised this method for curing meat (generally cold meats and sausages in nearby areas, where always encased in the animal's guts...). Even if not exactly 'neighbours' also the populations of Andreis and Claut/Barcis made their own versions, called respectively: 'peta' and 'petuccia'.

The meats used, often varied according to what was found/hunted (sheep, venison, pork...), to the seasonings and herbs they traditionally added and to what was generally available in their area. 

Today the 'pitina' (the most famous out of all three - possibly because the name seems somewhat easier to remember? or because its recorded history dates back to 1800s?) is included among the Slow Food Presidia and deserves to be re-discovered and enjoyed by many.

It is not so easy to find, though, in fact 'pitina' and her 'sisters' are not generally sold in supermarkets. Being still an artisan product, they can be found only in small shops in the area or can be purchased directly from their makers.

I am lucky as, in the town where I live, here in the middle of the Friulian plains, a tiny shop sells one of the three sisters: the delicious 'petuccia' made by the Lèbon artisans in Erto e Casso (near the above mentioned 'Claut') out of beef and pork, so whenever I am in the mood for a savoury treat I don't have to pick up the car and drive up to the mountains... In summer though, this is a really pleasent trip to make and I will soon be showing you around some of the areas I have mentioned so far :-)

Pitina, Peta and Petuccia are best enjoyed as they are, thinly sliced (yes, cornflour and all and no, the slices in the picture above are not exactly thin, but I needed to cut them into cubes for my recipe!) and accompanied by steaming hot polenta and maybe some fresh and aromatic radicchio or even better, if you have a garden, ...young dandelion leaves! 

Less traditional preparations include pasta sauces (Carbonara style), risottos, ecc... But you could also shallow-fry it with some vinegar, basically use in most preparations where you'd use a sausage.. options are endless.

 Here's my petuccia happily sautéeing with onions in butter, almost ready to make a lovely sauce for the spinach spätzle you can spot boiling in the pot behind...

If you're looking for some wine to accompany your 'pitina', 'peta' or 'petuccia' then you don't have to go too far from the valleys where they are produced... You can grab yourseves a bottle of Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso Doc, a red nectar produced from the grapes of an indigenous vine from this region, Friuli, in the Doc area of Friuli Grave among some others. Its full bodied flavour is ancient: its origins surely dating back (at least) to the Romans who grew it intensively in the areas sorrounding the town of Aquileia. 

But all this typing has made me hungry - what about you? - so farewell from Friuli ...until next time:-)

Green Spätzle with spinach, onion and petuccia, topped with grated smoked ricotta... delish!

Do you know of any cold meats resembling these ones? How do you use them? I'll be happy to read your comments and try out any recipes you may have! Yay for fusion cuisine!