Sbriciolona

Her majesty, the queen of the Tuscan pork butchery tradition: the sbriciolona (a crumbly Tuscan salami). A soft mixture that tends to crumble as you slice it, hence the name. When you cut it or eat it, it is impossible not to be overwhelmed and pervaded by the scent and flavour of wild fennel, which however is not aggressive or lingering in the mouth, but accompanies the chewing, appearing and disappearing depending on whether or not there is a seed under your teeth. In appearance it is an amalgam of the intense red of the cuts chosen for it (shoulder and prosciutto trimmings, loin and pancetta) and the white of the lardo from the pig’s rump.

The texture, as mentioned, is described by the name; in fact the suggestion is to eat it sliced straight from the refrigerator, regardless of whether it is more or less cured. We sell it after a couple of months at the very least, because we like the flavours to blend well inside it.

Classic pairings are pecorino, Tuscan bread and a “gotto” (glass) of good wine, but it also lends itself to less traditional pairings such as oranges, pears, apples, figs and marmalades/jams. We almost always serve it with onion chutney or with apple and pear jam with citrus.